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| Children take sailing lessons five days each week at this lake near my home. |
During summer, many school aged children are over supervised and over scheduled.
They take sailing lessons, play in softball leagues, and attend nature classes, to name a few. Adults supervise these activities.
Some kids go to camps with specialized programs. That means learning over leisure.
Excessive supervision is suffocating children's social and psychological development.
Parents ought to back off. Let kids and their friends play without interference. Let them go fishing by themselves, and talk about whatever as they wait for a fish to pull down a bobber.
Unsupervised play encourages resourcefulness. It deepens relationships. It teaches kids how to get along. Free time stimulates daydreaming. It gives children time to sort things out.
One afternoon I drove by a park. Two girls sat beside a fence, shooting the breeze. They seemed content. No adults were in sight. I'll bet those girls enjoyed the summer more than their peers with schedules to follow.
They take sailing lessons, play in softball leagues, and attend nature classes, to name a few. Adults supervise these activities.
Some kids go to camps with specialized programs. That means learning over leisure.
Excessive supervision is suffocating children's social and psychological development.
Parents ought to back off. Let kids and their friends play without interference. Let them go fishing by themselves, and talk about whatever as they wait for a fish to pull down a bobber.
Unsupervised play encourages resourcefulness. It deepens relationships. It teaches kids how to get along. Free time stimulates daydreaming. It gives children time to sort things out.
One afternoon I drove by a park. Two girls sat beside a fence, shooting the breeze. They seemed content. No adults were in sight. I'll bet those girls enjoyed the summer more than their peers with schedules to follow.
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