Overscheduled Kids
Written by: Rae Pica
Web Site: Moving & Learning
Date Submitted: 06/03/2004
Overscheduled Children
By Rae Pica
Like the childhood obesity problem, the subject of “superkids” gets plenty of press
these days. Time devoted the better part of an issue to it. Newsweek featured an
article titled “Busy Around the Clock.” Articles with titles like “Whatever Happened to
Play?” “Pushing Children Too Hard,” and “Are You Over-Scheduling Your kids?” show up
in print media and on the Internet. Books with titles like Hyper-Parenting: Are Your
Hurting Your Child by Trying Too Hard? are appearing on bookshelves.
What are superkids? Some call them overscheduled; others refer to them as pushed or
hurried. Some speak of the practice of creating superkids as scheduled hyperactivity.
Child development specialist David Elkind writes: “Parents are under more pressure
than ever to overschedule their children and have them engage in organized sports and
other activities that may be age-inappropriate.” Most agree the practice is today’s
status symbol among families. In short, a superkid is a child pressured by parents and
by society in general to do too much too soon. It’s a phenomenon in our society in an
escalating trend — with no end in sight. It’s a frightening thought.
Writing in the magazine Child Care Information Exchange, Johann Christoph Arnold
says: “The pressure to excel is undermining childhood as never before.” He also asks:
“Why are we so keen to mold [children] into successful adults, instead of treasuring
their genuineness and carefree innocence?”
We have the best intentions, of course. We want our children to be happy; we equate
happiness with success. And we fervently believe that success won’t come unless we
give our children a head start — a jump on the competition as it were.
But at what cost will all of this “success” come? If children don’t learn to play as children,
they aren’t likely to discover its value as adults. And, oh, what a dreary, deadening
existence daily life will become. Think about the following questions, really pondering
each for a moment:
* If children begin living like adults in childhood, what will there be left to look forward
to?
* What’s to ensure they won’t be burned out from all the pushing and pressure before
they’ve even reached puberty?
* If we’ve caused them to miss the magic of childhood, how will they ever find the magic
necessary to cope with the trials and tribulations of adulthood?
* What will become of the childlike nature adults call on when they need reminding of
the delight found in simple things — when they need to bring out the playfulness that
makes life worth living?
* What joy will our children find as adults if striving to “succeed” becomes life’s sole
purpose?
Childhood is not a dress rehearsal for adulthood! It is a separate, unique, and very
special phase of life. And we’re essentially wiping it out of existence in an effort to be
sure our children get ahead. But when did we decide that life was one long race? When,
exactly, did life become a competition?
Young children are not internally motivated to succeed; their only motivation comes from
the value we place on success. And they don't want to let us down. As a result, stress is
often a principal factor in the life of a superkid. Of course, into every life a little stress
must fall. But when it becomes more than a person is capable of handling, it becomes
unhealthy. Studies have shown that the brains of stressed preschoolers now look
remarkably like the brains of stressed adults, which have excessive levels of adrenaline
and cortisol, the chemicals responsible for the body’s fight-or-flight reaction. Young
children, who don’t have the vocabulary or understanding to express what they’re
feeling, will often act out as a way of coping.
But there’s more than stress involved in pushing children onto the fast track to success
before they even understand the concept. For one thing, children aren’t allowed to
discover motivation on their own — and motivation is often more important to success
than talent. Pushed children never have the opportunity to discover who they are. And
they never learn to be at ease with themselves when alone, with time on their hands.
Having experienced life “by the clock” — and almost constantly surrounded by others —
these kids have never learned the joy of solitude, of having only oneself for company.
Not only does this mean they’re unable to practice self-reflection, but they’re also
unable to simply be.
Not long ago, in an attempt to help adults realize the folly of all work and no play, a
saying began appearing on bumper stickers and in e-mails. It read: “No one ever said
on his deathbed, ‘I wish I’d spent more time at the office.’” Whether or not the saying
had the desired effect remains to be seen, as adults appear as determined as ever to
fill up their time with accomplishments. But someone had the right idea, and evidently
quite a few people agreed with the sentiment. Isn’t it now time to consider the same
sentiment as it relates to children? Is there anyone who would say, at the conclusion of
childhood, “I wish I’d had less time to play”? Who, after all, wants to look back on life
and regret passing up that one and only opportunity to just be a kid?
About the Author:
Rae Pica is a children’s movement specialist and the author of Your Active Child: How to
Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity
(McGraw-Hill, 2003). Visit Rae at www.movingandlearning.com.
Written by: Rae Pica
Web Site: Moving & Learning
Date Submitted: 06/03/2004
Overscheduled Children
By Rae Pica
Like the childhood obesity problem, the subject of “superkids” gets plenty of press
these days. Time devoted the better part of an issue to it. Newsweek featured an
article titled “Busy Around the Clock.” Articles with titles like “Whatever Happened to
Play?” “Pushing Children Too Hard,” and “Are You Over-Scheduling Your kids?” show up
in print media and on the Internet. Books with titles like Hyper-Parenting: Are Your
Hurting Your Child by Trying Too Hard? are appearing on bookshelves.
What are superkids? Some call them overscheduled; others refer to them as pushed or
hurried. Some speak of the practice of creating superkids as scheduled hyperactivity.
Child development specialist David Elkind writes: “Parents are under more pressure
than ever to overschedule their children and have them engage in organized sports and
other activities that may be age-inappropriate.” Most agree the practice is today’s
status symbol among families. In short, a superkid is a child pressured by parents and
by society in general to do too much too soon. It’s a phenomenon in our society in an
escalating trend — with no end in sight. It’s a frightening thought.
Writing in the magazine Child Care Information Exchange, Johann Christoph Arnold
says: “The pressure to excel is undermining childhood as never before.” He also asks:
“Why are we so keen to mold [children] into successful adults, instead of treasuring
their genuineness and carefree innocence?”
We have the best intentions, of course. We want our children to be happy; we equate
happiness with success. And we fervently believe that success won’t come unless we
give our children a head start — a jump on the competition as it were.
But at what cost will all of this “success” come? If children don’t learn to play as children,
they aren’t likely to discover its value as adults. And, oh, what a dreary, deadening
existence daily life will become. Think about the following questions, really pondering
each for a moment:
* If children begin living like adults in childhood, what will there be left to look forward
to?
* What’s to ensure they won’t be burned out from all the pushing and pressure before
they’ve even reached puberty?
* If we’ve caused them to miss the magic of childhood, how will they ever find the magic
necessary to cope with the trials and tribulations of adulthood?
* What will become of the childlike nature adults call on when they need reminding of
the delight found in simple things — when they need to bring out the playfulness that
makes life worth living?
* What joy will our children find as adults if striving to “succeed” becomes life’s sole
purpose?
Childhood is not a dress rehearsal for adulthood! It is a separate, unique, and very
special phase of life. And we’re essentially wiping it out of existence in an effort to be
sure our children get ahead. But when did we decide that life was one long race? When,
exactly, did life become a competition?
Young children are not internally motivated to succeed; their only motivation comes from
the value we place on success. And they don't want to let us down. As a result, stress is
often a principal factor in the life of a superkid. Of course, into every life a little stress
must fall. But when it becomes more than a person is capable of handling, it becomes
unhealthy. Studies have shown that the brains of stressed preschoolers now look
remarkably like the brains of stressed adults, which have excessive levels of adrenaline
and cortisol, the chemicals responsible for the body’s fight-or-flight reaction. Young
children, who don’t have the vocabulary or understanding to express what they’re
feeling, will often act out as a way of coping.
But there’s more than stress involved in pushing children onto the fast track to success
before they even understand the concept. For one thing, children aren’t allowed to
discover motivation on their own — and motivation is often more important to success
than talent. Pushed children never have the opportunity to discover who they are. And
they never learn to be at ease with themselves when alone, with time on their hands.
Having experienced life “by the clock” — and almost constantly surrounded by others —
these kids have never learned the joy of solitude, of having only oneself for company.
Not only does this mean they’re unable to practice self-reflection, but they’re also
unable to simply be.
Not long ago, in an attempt to help adults realize the folly of all work and no play, a
saying began appearing on bumper stickers and in e-mails. It read: “No one ever said
on his deathbed, ‘I wish I’d spent more time at the office.’” Whether or not the saying
had the desired effect remains to be seen, as adults appear as determined as ever to
fill up their time with accomplishments. But someone had the right idea, and evidently
quite a few people agreed with the sentiment. Isn’t it now time to consider the same
sentiment as it relates to children? Is there anyone who would say, at the conclusion of
childhood, “I wish I’d had less time to play”? Who, after all, wants to look back on life
and regret passing up that one and only opportunity to just be a kid?
About the Author:
Rae Pica is a children’s movement specialist and the author of Your Active Child: How to
Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity
(McGraw-Hill, 2003). Visit Rae at www.movingandlearning.com.
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