Children Need Play and Independence

[Kathianne]

Some of us have spoken about this before, most children are over scheduled and not allowed to face 'challenges' and solve them. For the past 5 years or so, universities have been complaining about helicopter parents. I heard the other day on one of the business reports, that some parents were calling employers trying to set up interviews for their children, who are recent college grads. Here is a post that links to a couple sites and books adding to this discussion:

http://instapundit.com/archives2/006257.php

June 14, 2007

LET THE CHILDREN PLAY, or they will never learn:

Children are so cocooned by their parents that they rarely venture far from home and have little concept of space, volume and how the world actually works, David Willetts, the shadow education secretary, said yesterday.

The area in which children were allowed to range freely by their parents was a ninth of what it was a generation ago, he said. He also referred to "most worrying" research which showed children could not grasp basic maths. . . .

Mr Willetts's comments come amid increasing concern that children's experiences are being stifled by over-anxious parents obsessed with "stranger danger", and an increasingly litigious society which means schools and clubs are nervous about taking children on activity holidays and adventure trips.

As a consequence, children who sit in front of their computer or television, grow up with concentration problems as a result, and suffer a "nature deficit disorder", Mr Willetts said.

I can't say I find this surprising. Plus, there's this:

Britain's safety charity suggested yesterday it would be better for the occasional child to fall out of a tree and break their wrist than develop repetitive strain injury from playing computer games.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said parents were too risk-averse, particularly after the abduction of Madeleine McCann in Portugal, and youngsters should be allowed to bruise and cut themselves.

As the playground movement of 100 years ago said, "better a broken arm than a broken spirit." We talked about that in our podcast interview with Conn Iggulden, author of The Dangerous Book for Boys.
posted at 07:56 AM by Glenn Reynolds

[Abbey Marie]

I classify myself as a worrier when it comes to my daughter, but over the years her classes have been to NYC, Boston, and Orlando (we are near Philly), and amusement parks and other sites that were over two hours from home. In 6th grade, the school took everyone in 6th grade to a sleep-away camp for three days, too. So I'm not seeing the lessening of field trips, etc.

I do think that we are much more involved in helping her to "succeed" than my parents ever were with us. For example, our daughter (almost 16) has a summer job, and my husband called up to get her schedule for her. When I was her age, I got my own job, my own schedule, and told my parents about it afterwards.

[Kathianne]

I classify myself as a worrier when it comes to my daughter, but over the years her classes have been to NYC, Boston, and Orlando (we are near Philly), and amusement parks and other sites that were over two hours from home. In 6th grade, the school took everyone in 6th grade to a sleep-away camp for three days, too. So I'm not seeing the lessening of field trips, etc.

I do think that we are much more involved in helping her to "succeed" than my parents ever were with us. For example, our daughter (almost 16) has a summer job, and my husband called up to get her schedule for her. When I was her age, I got my own job, my own schedule, and told my parents about it afterwards.

Abbey, you are probably 10 years or more younger than me, but I'll ask you, what were you doing at 10-13 years old?

I'll admit from the age of 7 being given more or less free reign, with the caveat of being in the house when street lights were on-or within 10 minutes of illumination.

We rode and/or walked to the library, crossing 2 main intersections with bikes or on foot. Often we would bring a sack lunch, the better to allow our excursions from breakfast to streetlights.

At least 3 times during the summer, we would ride our bikes over 5 miles to Grau Mill, a stop on the underground railroad.

We were babyboomers, housing developments were going up all over, we often 'played' in those frames, some 3 stories, not counting the basements and sub-basements. Nothing was cooler than collecting the slugs from the electrical outlets. One of my friends once fell, breaking her ankle, we dragged her to the park, then got her mom. We said she was trying to skip over the creek. We knew there would be problems if we said we were 'playing' in the construction houses.

Now would I 'want' my kids taking the chances we did? No. But I do know that by the time I was in jr. high/high school, I recognized danger from thrills. I could tell the difference.

[Trigg]

There is a book my husband wants to get for our boys. The Dangerous Book for Boys.

Kids are much more supervised than we where at their age. Maybe because we are much more aware of what is going on in the world and all the ugly things happening are just a keystroke away from our finding out about it.

Parents do need to shut off the gameboys, computers and video games and shove their kids outside more often.

I try not to be a worrier, my 2 older kids 11 &14 wander all over the neighborhood, the 9yr old has to have an older one with him unless it's close by. I'ts my baby (4) I worry about the most.

[Kathianne]

There is a book my husband wants to get for our boys. The Dangerous Book for Boys.

Kids are much more supervised than we where at their age. Maybe because we are much more aware of what is going on in the world and all the ugly things happening are just a keystroke away from our finding out about it.

Parents do need to shut off the gameboys, computers and video games and shove their kids outside more often.

I try not to be a worrier, my 2 older kids 11 &14 wander all over the neighborhood, the 9yr old has to have an older one with him unless it's close by. I'ts my baby (4) I worry about the most.

That is mentioned in the link from my first post. Good idea.

[LiberalNation]

My parents are opposit of helicopter. I'd wish they'd do stuff like go pick up applications and set me up for stuff but noooo I hafta do it all myself.

[Trigg]

My parents are opposit of helicopter. I'd wish they'd do stuff like go pick up applications and set me up for stuff but noooo I hafta do it all myself.

Doing stuff the hard way builds character doncha know