clevermanka | Leave them kids alone

Article one: Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today

Article two: Men prefer pain to being alone with their thoughts

GOSH I WONDER IF THESE THINGS MIGHT BE RELATED. I don't mean that there's a direct causation, but I do think that not letting children play alone is incredibly damaging to our species. I've brought this up before, and had a great link to an NPR story about it, but that was years ago. Basically, the study showed that children who were not given alone play time, and instead were ushered from activity to playdate, did not develop a sense of personal responsibility like children who were left to play alone or with other children under no adult supervision. And that window for learning that internalized sense of responsibility does not re-open easily, if at all. Terrifying.

Here's something a little lighter. It's Vimeo, not YouTube, so you might have to click the square to get anything to show up. How to film comedy. Not just how to film a bunch of people being funny, but how to use the medium of film to actually show comedy.

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The thing that struck me most in that first article is that kids aren't moving like they used to, and that is so very true! When I was in grade and middle school, we had PE every single day. High school, we had it 3 days a week, then Health the other two our freshman year only. After that, we were on our own for PE - our only options were weight training or signing up for one of the athletic teams.

My youngest kid has PE once a week. Once. Recess is routinely canceled for bad weather. What the actual F? *headdesk*

And yeah, he's been diagnosed with ADHD and he is medicated for it. It was that or risk having him kicked out of school in kindergarten.

That sucks. Poor little guy.

I can tell a difference in him when he's on his meds and off. I don't give him the meds twice per day - once he's home, he's free to move as much as he wants. If it takes him all evening to do his homework, so be it. And we were lucky enough to find the right medicine that doesn't affect his appetitie in a negative way and doesn't turn him into a zombie.

Fascinating stuff! As an educator, I've always been an advocate for letting kids do as much on their own as possible, but my experience has been that parents are highly resistant to that. As a parent (my son is only 6, but still), there is massive pressure to "prepare" your child for the future. I've read a hell of a lot of research on child learning and development, but even so there have been moments when I've had massive second thoughts about whether or not we were doing the right thing.

The big thing we did that was differently from the mainstream was that our son never went to any sort of preschool. (And it's strange to think that is unusual these days, isn't it?) We were lucky enough to be able to have a parent at home with him almost all of his preschool years (and we had a part-time nanny for a few the other times), so outside of swimming lessons and a weekly Gymboree-type class, he basically spent the first six years of his life just playing. Sometimes with other kids, sometimes alone, and sometimes with an adult. The three of us spent the year he was five traveling, and so he didn't start kindergarten until halfway through the year. It was his first experience with school, and after a few weeks of adjustment, he was fine.

Overall, he's had this incredibly free early childhood, and he used it to play and learn and do so many things, all of it driven by his own interests. I actually shed some tears when he finally went to school because I realized that the days of spending hours making models of the solar system or drawing giant murals of bacteria were over. He wasn't going to get that kind of time to just do his own thing again.

I should say that he goes to a really great school and so far I'm very pleased with it. And he likes it, which is important. If he stops liking it or finds it stifling, I would have no problem pulling him out to homeschool.

But anyway, yes, all of this really resonates with me. Thanks for posting those linked articles!

Edit: A friend just shared this article (http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/11/26/ctq_walker.html) with me about an American teacher working in Finland. Very interesting, and in line with what you've posted above.

Edited 2014-07-11 00:17 (UTC)

What a wonderful thing that your son had such a free childhood. Thank you for doing your best in raising a responsible human being. =D

I've always found it very sad to see that number of playgrounds and parks with swings and jungle gyms sitting empty. People are too scared to let their kids out alone. It's tragic... lines of cars spewing exhaust sitting outside the school before and after because no one will let their kid walk five blocks alone. Pleasant G and I talked about it .. hell, they should be hiding out and sneaking cigarettes and playing make-out, not being picked up and shuttled from thing to thing all evening. Many kids have no clue how to use public transit.. hell, that was our ONLY way to get around. No one's parents could be off work in the afternoons to take us downtown or on Saturday mornings to dance class.

On the lack of "own thoughts time".. it's certainly not smartphones. Jbird doesn't use his like most people and even he doesn't understand my need for quiet time without a TV, idle chatter, or someone to interact with at all times.

I agree with everything you said, above. Also, I think Jbird is a special case in a lot of ways. =D He's just such a complete extrovert.

That's true! A total chatterbox.

that was a really good analysis of comedy. LOVED IT.

That is a great piece on good comedy direction! Makes me want to make a movie.

So now, OFF TO THE GARAGE! *insert dramatic exit*

Makes me want to make a movie.

You need another hobby.

One word:

TERROR-DACTYL!

GO WORK ON THE DAMNED CAR.

Leave them kids alone

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