Parents today are stretched very thin at times. With work,
social demands, and so much more pulling at the strings of parents, it may be a
good idea to keep a child busy. But that poses problems as well. Children that
are too “busy”, could very well lose a part of childhood that lets them build
self-esteem, self-reliance, and even confidence. There are some pitfalls to
doing too much as a child, and many parents are finding out the hard way.
Instead of going overboard, consider a few notes on why you should balance a
child’s activities to allow them some down time from the grind of everyday
life.
Play Time Is
Diminished
One of the biggest hurdles of the ever-busy child is that
they don’t have play time. You may not think that this could be productive, but
it’s very important for a young person. As a child grows up, they use this time
to use their imagination and creativity. They do this to ensure that they are
dealing with a variety of positive elements overall. They create environments
and structures that help their brains develop. Even if you think it’s a waste
of time, to them, it’s a grand element that is full of wonder. Encouraging
children to imagine, and be creative in play time is a great way to build
personality constructs and more.
Friendship and Social
Time Suffers
Friendships take time to build. Creating long lasting
friendships is a great thing for a child. However, if they are constantly busy,
moving in and out of classes, going to extract curricular activities, and never
allowed to have down time to play with others, they may have a void in
communication. You want to allow your child to flourish socially, and that is
done by letting them have some time away from the serious nature of some of the
activities they may be involved with. Building relationships that last start at
youth and develop in time.
Growing Up Resentful
Adults that have busy childhoods, often end up resenting
their upbringing. They cite things like, not being able to be a kid, or not being
allowed to have a bit of fun. These things way heavy on the minds of millions
of people, and through therapy they can be helped. Professionals, however,
agree that when raising children, they should be left to have some fun,
downtime, and use their imagination to create lavish worlds and more. Suffice
to say, kids should have time to be “kids” sometimes.