
 |
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
April 18, 2014
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
April 14, 2014
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds
Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Oct. 12, 2006
/ 20 Tishrei, 5767
They're kids, all right? So let them play
By
Lenore Skenazy
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
'Here's some soothing medicine for stressed out parents and overscheduled kids," read an Associated Press story on Monday. "The American Academy of Pediatrics says what children really need for healthy development is more good, old-fashioned playtime."
This is supposed to relax us parents? Are you kidding? After my kid does two hours of homework and baseball practice and the recommended 30 minutes a day of reading and at least a couple of pages of the "Get Your Fifth-Grader Into A Good Middle School That Will Get Him Into a Good High School That Will Get Him Into a Good College that Will Get Him a House and Three Kids in Teaneck" workbook, now I have to make sure he gets out there and PLAYS, too?
Uh ... wait a sec. I guess I see the point.
The Academy is saying something that needed saying: Kids are so overscheduled today they are missing out on the biggest enrichment class of them all playtime.
"Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive and emotional strength," the docs reported. And yet, for many well-intentioned parents, it's last on the list of approved activities.
How come?
First and foremost, I blame cable. Not kids watching cable (although three hours of the Cartoon Network will turn anyone's brain into Go-Gurt). ADULTS watching cable that's the problem. Because any time some poor child gets abducted or, G-d forbid, killed, it is on the news all day. Sometimes all decade.
As the anchors grimly shake their heads for the zillionth time, it's almost impossible to remember the truth: These horrible incidents are not increasing. They are on TV precisely because they are rare. We live in very safe times, and New York City is the safest it has been since the '60s. So it is no nuttier to let your kid ride her bike outside today than it was when the Bradys were still a Bunch.
But try telling that to your friends. I have. They look at me as if I've just found them the perfect baby-sitter: Mark Foley!
Result? The kids stay inside watching cable. (See the cycle?) Or else they play computer games. Or they sit plopped in front of some video that's supposed to make them a genius because, as we all know, that's how Mozart got his start. With most of the kids inside, the kids who do venture out can't find anyone to play with. So in they go, too.
And that's assuming those kids have any free time to begin with! The children not cooped up with their electronics are often cooped up someplace else dance class or soccer practice or after-school homework help.
These programs aren't bad. My family does them, too. But when supervised activities fill every free moment, kids never get a chance to figure out how to entertain themselves, or even how to deal with other kids without some grownup saying, "Okay, Tyler, now YOU bounce the ball."
That's why plain old playtime may actually help your child more than yet another season of tae kwon do-based new math tutoring on ice.
If you're wondering which one to squeeze in, ask your kid.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Lenore Skenazy is a columnist for The New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
Lenore Skenazy Archives
© 2006, NY Daily News
|
|
Columnists
Toons
Lifestyles
|