<p>There are several arguments being confused here. Our culture has changed, it is true, but some things should stay the same, such as the value of hard work.</p>
<p>In the old days, kids played more on their own, but they were also expected to do chores and in many cases, earn their own spending money. Now the activities are more organized, and parents pay for them…whether or not the kid wants to do the activity.</p>
<p>I see childhood being prolonged, adulthood and responsibility delayed, and kids having everything handed to them on a platter. Then they expect someone to give them a job.</p>
<p>My father always said, “Work at what you like to do, because you’ll be doing it all your life.”</p>
<p>And that’s my sermon for the day. :D</p>
<p>If you grew up in a farming community of 1800, there were darn few organized activities. Pee wee football. T- ball in the summer. But “camps?”. Bahahahaha! </p>
<p>Look, we all wax nostalgic from time to time. Those carefree unstructured days are probably gone for a while, but the good news is that the pendulum swings both ways. Sooner or later we’ll get tired of this hectic pace and the kids we’ve raised who seem incapable of knowing what to do with downtime. They’ll react to what they see as a mistake in our over involved parenting style, and with any luck, we’ll have grandchildren who will be willing just to hang out with us at a time when we’ve got plenty of our own time for just hanging out.</p>
<p>For younger kids, play IS their “work.” My kids used to do “nothing” after school or during summers, until they were maybe in 8th grade, when some more mature interests like music or dance or computers started to appear. Boredom is a good thing. Something tends to come of it. And they learn to be entrepreneurial, so to speak.</p>
<p>I have read many articles on the stress level of children heading off to kindergarten or the early grades. Brains are being pushed to do things ahead of the developmental schedule. I also think kids learn the same amount, but in a better way, when the learning is in the form of play directed by them rather than by adults pushing early academics.</p>
<p>The idea that doing academics or structured activities as early as possible, or as much as possible, increases chances at Ivies etc. is completely wrong. We can agree that getting into these schools is not a priority if it involves so much stress, but the reality is that the more stressful path is not really necessary, and may even be counterproductive, for these admissions concerns (or for state standardized testing, for that matter).</p>
<p>The main problem really (and this has been expressed to me by several teachers) is tv, computers and other electronic technologies. Parents do need to keep kids busy to get them away from these seductive activities. If everyone got rid of screens in their houses, then schedules could loosen up and maybe kids could go back to playing</p>
<p>On the other hand, I think it is remarkable how play persists for children no matter what we adults do to get in the way. The secret life of children seems to persist underneath all the distractions and activities we throw at them.</p>
<p>Growing up, D2 used to love to take bath. She would disappear for an hour or so. I just assumed she loved to float in water. It wasn’t until she wrote her college essays that I found out she used to read in tub and that’s why most of her books had water stains (she said some even fell in the water). It was her escape from us. She would bring few books to her bathroom and read in peace.</p>