WHAT is causing 21st-century kids to morph into what researchers have called “bubbles apt to burst at the slightest smattering of adversity”?
Experts believe the answer lies among millions of well-meaning parents positioning themselves as human shields between their kids and disappointment and pain.
Take the following representative scenarios in which parents unintentionally hinder the development of resilience in their children:
A FEW years back, I had an epiphany in the JCC bleachers. It was the playoffs in the second grade basketball league, and I was having a hard time concentrating on the game because of all the yelling parents.
The vibe reminded me of when I was in grad school at Duke and we were playing University of North Carolina (UNC) in the Final Four. Except the Duke and UNC fans were a little more relaxed and less critical of the players.
(To my right side) “What on earth are you doing Josh, I showed you how to dribble the ball. Wait a minute, you’re going the wrong direction!”
(To my left side) “Listen to your coach, Elan. No, not that coach — the smart one!”
(To my backside) “Oh, come on Jared, with shots like that, you’ll never be the first Jew in the NBA.”
The back-to-school season is, for all intents and purposes, a period of pure parental mayhem. From tracking down the coolest Batman or Barbie backpack on the block to searching out that elusive five subject, wide-ruled, perforated spiral notebook that our child needs for Hebrew class, our to-do lists seem virtually endless.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 August 2009 14:37 )
Read more...DURING the school-year, critical academic skills are regularly reinforced. Summer is a completely different story as most kids hardly pick up a pencil during June, July and August. No wonder studies show that students forget as much as 80% of what they were taught the previous year during the hot summer months!
Fortunately, it’s possible to keep your kids’ hard-earned school skills from slipping down the summer brain drain. All you need are a few household items, a dash of creativity and the following ideas for disguising school-year-caliber academic reinforcement as summer-style fun and games.
Reinforce math skills using:
IT’S a situation as sticky as a freshly roasted marshmallow.
Your child –– who’s been looking forward to attending overnight camp since you signed her up this fall –– suddenly develops a case of cold feet. She’s no longer buzzing with excitement over her upcoming month of summer fun. She’s teary-eyed and anxious over spending thirty days (720 hours!) away from mom and dad. (And truth be told, you’re a tad teary-eyed and anxious about those 720 hours, yourself).