Reply to Lack of independent play is creating mental health crisis among kids today -- and overprotective parenting is to blame

Forum Index » General Parenting Discussion

Reply to " Lack of independent play is creating mental health crisis among kids today -- and overprotective parenting is to blame"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Most everyone who is replying here realizes that this would be beneficial for their child yet is coming up with excuses as to why they can't or won't do it.  Kinda sad, really.

The first step to making this happen here is to drastically reduce screen time.  That isn't easy but it then forces their hand.  For our children, they will play some inside but there is only so much of that they will do until they go outside to play.  Access to screens just short-circuits this dynamic.  Also, we make regular visits to some of the bigger playground parks - there are always kids and they love these trips.  Our kids are all under 12 and we've been doing this their whole lives so YMMV.

[/quote]

Do you work?
[/quote]

Yes, I do.  Spouse works as well and we also own a small business.

What do you do that you don't have any time to take your kids to a playground or let them play outside?

[/quote]

When do you you have time to take kids to the park if you work? Are you part time?

[/quote]

I work full-time.  Spouse works 3 10 hour days and the business is some weekends, mostly.  The kids play outside after school and we go to a playground a couple or few times a week, some of  those being on weekends.  We are no screens Sunday evening until Friday evening("movie night") but we've done this since day one.  If you are trying to start this from scratch w/ a 7-12 yo, it's going to be harder.

At the end of the day, you have time for that which you give priority to make time for.  In addition to sports/EC's we've made this a priority so the time is there.

Right this afternoon, at this very moment, they decided they wanted to rake leaves in the front yard so they'd have a pile to jump in so that's today's spontaneous unstructured play.  If there was a screen as an option, that would never happen.

[/quote]

DP.  I work full-time (from home 4 out of 5 days a week) from 7:30 to 3:30.  I'm available to my kids pretty much every afternoon.  The previous PP really can't conceive that working parents can find time to take their kids to the playground??  YIKES![/quote]

Can you not conceive that many if not most parents who both work full-time simply don’t have time to get to the playground on a weekday afternoon?

And saying working parents do not have the right priorities is more than a little condescending.

[/quote]

Choices. Smaller, less expensive home. Cheaper car(s). Affordable vacations. Then choose at least one of your jobs so that you don’t work 9-6 five days a week. Yes, you may make less money. That’s OK, because see above.

You’re welcome.[/quote]

All the things you mentioned are not at all consistent with leveling-up. Sorry.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics