New study shows kids thrive in a 'hurried' lifestyle: It's the parents who suffer

[urquie]

interesting...

http://www.examiner.com/x-1146-Seattle-Eastside-Family-Examiners~y2009m9d2-New-study-shows-kids-thrive-in-a-hurried-lifestyle-Its-the-parents-who-suffer

[maestramommy]

I don't buy it. Except for the part about the parents:p

[egoldber]

The study followed children aged 9 to 12 years.

I think this is the difference. Children this age have a lot more tolerance for activity level, are used to juggling school, and have less sleep needs. I think younger children need more sleep and more open ended playtime. I have noticed a HUGE difference in Sarah's tolerance to extra activity now that she is 8 vs at 5/6 she could do NOTHING else except school and home.

[vonfirmath]

Except that... when the parents suffer, the kids suffer too.

[urquie]

I don't buy it. Except for the part about the parents:p
:yeahthat: just the paper work, ptsa emails and home work for kindergarten are stressing me out! and music/piano starts today... with daily practice. i won't be prepaying for the semester - just taking it one month at a time.

[maestramommy]

i'm not sure i buy it even for older kids. although i'll grant that SOME kids do thrive on this kind of schedule. it depends on the types of activities, and the intensity of participation. i used to teach kids that regularly carried this kind of load all year. some did great, others their grades might not be as good, and others were just burnt to a crisp. there were a variety of reasons for doing so many things, ranging from as innocuous as kids being interested in everything and the parent not having the heart to say no, to as crazy as building up for the college resume.

[egoldber]

I will freely admit that I am looking to enroll Sarah in TONS of after school activities this year because, frankly, I need the child care.

[pinkmomagain]

It's interesting, my oldest does better when there is a sports practice after school. She just seems to manage her time better (homework, etc.). But if it is off season, then she wastes alot of time (computer, TV, etc.) and suddenly has a hard time getting to her homework.

I find my kids enjoy activities, but there definitely needs to be downtime built into everyday and there needs to be days of the week with no activities. But that's just my kids' personalities.

[Ceepa]

DC each have one activity scheduled. As they get older we'll reconsider, but I personally believe there are longterm disadvantages to a child's development if they're kept so busy.