let kids play

via

I've said this before: kids really need time and (mental) space to play. And we parents need to chill out on overscheduling our kids.

This is a great article on Quartz that looks at stress in young people and the rising rates of depression in our youth.

My hypothesis is that the generational increases in externality, extrinsic goals, anxiety, and depression are all caused largely by the decline, over that same period, in opportunities for free play and the increased time and weight given to schooling. 

the day i stopped saying ’’hurry up’’

This is a brilliant post for all of you harried parents out there. Enjoy.

When you’re living a distracted life, every minute must be accounted for. You feel like you must be checking something off the list, staring at a screen, or rushing off to the next destination. And no matter how many ways you divide your time and attention, no matter how many duties you try and multi-task, there’s never enough time in a day to ever catch up.

That was my life for two frantic years. My thoughts and actions were controlled by electronic notifications, ring tones, and jam-packed agendas. And although every fiber of my inner drill sergeant wanted to be on time to every activity on my overcommitted schedule, I wasn’t.

You see, six years ago I was blessed with a laid-back, carefree, stop-and-smell-the roses type of child.

• When I needed to be out the door, she was taking her sweet time picking out a purse and a glittery crown.
• When I needed to be somewhere five minutes ago, she insisted on buckling her stuffed animal into a car seat.
• When I needed to grab a quick lunch at Subway, she’d stop to speak to the elderly woman who looked like her grandma.
• When I had thirty minutes to get in a run, she wanted me to stop the stroller and pet every dog we passed.
• When I had a full agenda that started at 6 a.m., she asked to crack the eggs and stir them ever so gently.