Why can't we let kids be kids? -- Part 2 (by Elizabeth)
In an article titled Playtime Packs It In, published Friday, November 2 in the Seattle P-I, reporter Paul Nyhan found experts who believe that overscheduled children suffer from a lack of downtime. Read yesterday's post.
Here's my own experience with my oldest son:
When he was quite young, around age 5, I enrolled him in numerous activities, thinking I was doing him a favor and that the foundation I was laying for him in Kindergarten would serve him all his life.
We raced from all day Kindergarten to soccer, basketball, baseball, French lessons, art classes, recorder/music lessons and story hour at the library. In my own defense, I left my career to play “mother” to this child. I thought my best strategy was to keep him as busy as possible. For his own good, of course.
Now, at age 18, my son is extremely well-adjusted, no thanks to my crazed-mother style. But the advantages I thought I was providing him never really came to fruition.
For example, exercise is not his strong suit. Although he loved playing soccer, he rarely has time to play. He’s good at basketball – on our home court. Baseball – well, he gave up baseball at the T-ball level (thank goodness – it was like watching grass grow).
The French lessons? He now speaks Spanish.
Art classes? Hmm. Can’t remember the last time he picked up a paint brush.
Recorder lessons? He now plays the saxophone – badly.
Story hour? Well, whoever said that exposure to books, reading to your children, and modeling good reading habits would foster future readers never met my son.
But my son, through his self-directed playtime, developed passions all his own, such as:
Cooking – I let him play in the kitchen as long as he would like.
Listening to music – We never discouraged any forms of music. I must admit however that I don’t care for some of the music, but I voice what I do and do not like about his music and he respects my opinions (translation: doesn’t play that music when I am within earshot).
Having friends over – We encouraged him to invite friends over when he was young and he continues to invite them to this day. Ours is the party house (where we are always in attendance).
So what happened when the second child came along?
