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Ideas, insights and inspiration for busy people on the go Friday, July 22, 2005 |
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Editor’s Scribbles
It’s hard work being a kid these days, don’t you think? A kid’s day is busier than some CEO’s of million-dollar companies, I tell you. And at the end of a long hard day, there’s hardly any time left for a childhood to speak of.
As it is now, I have lots of stories to tell my kids about the fun I had when I was a kid. I wonder what stories the kids of today will tell their kids. Listen...
“When Mommy was a kid, Gramma would pick me up from school. Lunch was always good, we always had McDonald’s ‘cos that was the quickest. After lunch, we were off to piano afterwards, and then to Math tuition. Then at night, Gramma would take me to Science tuition!”
Zzzzz you know what I mean? There’s no fun in any of that. It’s sheer drudgery for the poor kid! Surely there must be more to being a kid than being shuttled from class to class after a full day at school - already!
Parents always give me this wide-eyed look of disbelief when I tell them my kids go for a minimal of tuition (private tutoring). The way I see it, what other parents are doing may not necessarily be what’s right for my kids, so I do things my way LOL.
Two eye-opening articles to start off your weekend. Hope you enjoy today’s issue. See you back here next week
Kit Editor/Publisher Website: http://MinuteChaser.Go-GetGlobal.com Email: chaser@go-getglobal.com
Modern Living Overscheduled Children by Rae Pica Like the childhood obesity problem, the subject of “superkids” gets plenty of press these days. Time devoted the better part of an issue to it. Newsweek featured an article titled “Busy Around the Clock.” Articles with titles like “Whatever Happened to Play?” “Pushing Children Too Hard,” and “Are You Over-Scheduling Your kids?” show up in print media and on the Internet. Books with titles like Hyper-Parenting: Are Your Hurting Your Child by Trying Too Hard? are appearing on bookshelves. What are superkids? Some call them overscheduled; others refer to them as pushed or hurried. Some speak of the practice of creating superkids as scheduled hyperactivity. Child development specialist David Elkind writes: “Parents are under more pressure than ever to overschedule their children and have them engage in organized sports and other activities that may be age-inappropriate.” Most agree the practice is today’s status symbol among families. In short, a superkid is a child pressured by parents and by society in general to do too much too soon. It’s a phenomenon in our society in an escalating trend — with no end in sight. It’s a frightening thought. Writing in the magazine Child Care Information Exchange, Johann Christoph Arnold says: “The pressure to excel is undermining childhood as never before.” He also asks: “Why are we so keen to mold [children] into successful adults, instead of treasuring their genuineness and carefree innocence?” We have the best intentions, of course. We want our children to be happy; we equate happiness with success. And we fervently believe that success won’t come unless we give our children a head start — a jump on the competition as it were. But at what cost will all of this “success” come? If children don’t learn to play as children, they aren’t likely to discover its value as adults. And, oh, what a dreary, deadening existence daily life will become. Think about the following questions, really pondering each for a moment: * If children begin living like adults in childhood, what will there be left to look forward to? * What’s to ensure they won’t be burned out from all the pushing and pressure before they’ve even reached puberty? * If we’ve caused them to miss the magic of childhood, how will they ever find the magic necessary to cope with the trials and tribulations of adulthood? * What will become of the childlike nature adults call on when they need reminding of the delight found in simple things — when they need to bring out the playfulness that makes life worth living? * What joy will our children find as adults if striving to “succeed” becomes life’s sole purpose? Childhood is not a dress rehearsal for adulthood! It is a separate, unique, and very special phase of life. And we’re essentially wiping it out of existence in an effort to be sure our children get ahead. But when did we decide that life was one long race? When, exactly, did life become a competition? Young children are not internally motivated to succeed; their only motivation comes from the value we place on success. And they don't want to let us down. As a result, stress is often a principal factor in the life of a superkid. Of course, into every life a little stress must fall. But when it becomes more than a person is capable of handling, it becomes unhealthy. Studies have shown that the brains of stressed preschoolers now look remarkably like the brains of stressed adults, which have excessive levels of adrenaline and cortisol, the chemicals responsible for the body’s fight-or-flight reaction. Young children, who don’t have the vocabulary or understanding to express what they’re feeling, will often act out as a way of coping. But there’s more than stress involved in pushing children onto the fast track to success before they even understand the concept. For one thing, children aren’t allowed to discover motivation on their own — and motivation is often more important to success than talent. Pushed children never have the opportunity to discover who they are. And they never learn to be at ease with themselves when alone, with time on their hands. Having experienced life “by the clock” — and almost constantly surrounded by others — these kids have never learned the joy of solitude, of having only oneself for company. Not only does this mean they’re unable to practice self-reflection, but they’re also unable to simply be. Not long ago, in an attempt to help adults realize the folly of all work and no play, a saying began appearing on bumper stickers and in e-mails. It read: “No one ever said on his deathbed, ‘I wish I’d spent more time at the office.’” Whether or not the saying had the desired effect remains to be seen, as adults appear as determined as ever to fill up their time with accomplishments. But someone had the right idea, and evidently quite a few people agreed with the sentiment. Isn’t it now time to consider the same sentiment as it relates to children? Is there anyone who would say, at the conclusion of childhood, “I wish I’d had less time to play”? Who, after all, wants to look back on life and regret passing up that one and only opportunity to just be a kid? ----- About the author: raepica@movingandlearning.com
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Offpeak Hours Mosquitoes? No Itch, No Bite! by Willie Jones When you are in the season of the mosquito, it is looked upon with horror for those who suffer allergic reactions. But even if you do not get these reactions it is still looked upon by most as an unpleasant, unavoidable summertime irritant. No one wants to be bitten, especially with the threat of West Nile and other diseases. But what can you do? The first step is to get yourself educated. Knowing what draws the mosquito to its host and what you can do to lessen being bitten can make your summertime outings and barbeques that much more enjoyable. Here are some of the things that can attract the mosquito to you: 1) Dark clothes and flowery prints attract mosquitoes. When you go out, wear light colored clothing. 2) Sweet smelling perfumes, hair sprays and suntan lotions are an attraction. It is best not to be wearing any type of fragrance when you go out. 3) They also detect us from the carbon dioxide we breath out, (from as far as 75 ft away). It is recommended that if you must do anything strenuous, that it be done indoors. You do not want to promote heavier breathing because you are making yourself more of a target. 4) Mosquitoes are also attracted by the heat and sweat from your body. The heat mixed with our body chemistry determines whether you are likely to be bitten or not. There actually are people who rarely get bitten, and others who seem to be magnets for them. Studies are currently being done to determine what chemical compounds can be isolated so effective repellants can be made in the future. 5) Mosquitoes are more likely to bite you in the morning and at dusk. There are mosquitoes that can bite you throughout the day but the general rule is stay indoors in the morning and around dusk. There are things you can do around your yard to control mosquito population. It takes only about a cup of water for mosquitoes to breed so if you have any water being pooled anywhere, take the steps necessary to make an unfriendly environment for mosquitoes to breed. You will be helping yourself and your neighbors. For the last 50 years we have mainly relied on the controversial DDT sprays, which have been effective if used as directed, but we are now at a stage where some of us want a more natural approach to mosquito control. There are herbs that help in the control of biting insects. When you are looking for a product, check to see if any of these herbs are listed in the ingredients. The most effective sprays usually take several of the best herbs and put them together. Here is a list of tested workable herbs: Oil of cedar, eucalyptus, pennyroyal, rosemary, goldenseal, tea tree oil, calendula, soybean, plus garlic and brewers yeast. It also appears that mosquitoes don’t like B vitamins, in particular thiamine which is B1. If you eat brown rice, brewers yeast, wheat germ, black strap molasses, or fish, these will supply you with B vitamins. Or you can take a good vitamin B complex before your outing. This should help ward off those biting insects. Avoid eating sweets, fruits such as bananas and all sweet fragrances as these can attract mosquitoes. You can control the biting insects with diet, vitamins and herbs. Eat well and please look for a good (preferably natural) product that has proven insect repellants to help you through the summer. May you have a bite free experience this year. Resource reference, James F. Balch MD, Nutritional Healing, second addition. ----- About the author: Willie Jones http://www.promosquitocontrol.com Willie is a researcher, freelance writer that studies various subjects of interest to provide information to the public.
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IN THIS ISSUE Editor’s Scribbles Modern Living Overscheduled Children Ad Board Offpeak Hours Mosquitoes? No Itch, No Bite? Water Cooler Earn a FREE classified - easy! Subscribe to our RSS Feed
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