Keeping Childhood Alive

Recently, I was having a conversation with some fellow moms when the topic of extra-curricular activities came up. We were a varied group of mothers, with kids in public, private and homeschool. But although we lead quite different lives, we discovered that we all had something in common. Each family was involved in a minimum of three extracurricular activities, be it music, sports, dance, church activities, and the like. One family was involved in a whopping 8 extracurriculars! The funny thing was that none of us could remember being involved in that many activities when we were children. I had piano lessons as a child, and a few gymnastics lessons but I certainly don't remember my parents orchestrating their lives around a multitude of extra-curricular activities.

I left the conversation wondering, "Is childhood becoming an endangered species?" Children today are much busier than children just one generation ago. They are faced with an overwhelming amount of information and choices. Just think of all the options our children have when they walk through a toy store. Not so long ago, the same toys were kept on store shelves for years. Now, toys are retired almost as quickly as new ones are released. And while today's toys are more complex than toys of the past, they seem to require far less imagination.

It is a brave new world in which our children are growing up. I'm not one to glamorize the past, but I fear that we have lost some of the wonder of childhood. The pace of childhood today is so much quicker than it was in the past. Childhood is supposed to provide time and space for wonder and imagination. It is supposed to be time for catching caterpillars and making mud pies.

Though our kids have rooms full of toys, have they become less able to entertain themselves? Have we begun to view childhood only as a preparation for adulthood? Are we enrolling them in all sorts of extra-curriculars in hopes of giving them an edge on their peers? Has parenting become a competitive sport?

I'm not suggesting that we shut down all extra-curricular activities and throw out all modern toys. The truth is that there are conflicting voices on the ramifications of having children in a multitude of activities. Some have suggested that children can actually thrive in several activities, while others caution of the long-term effects or over-scheduling children. I'm not sure there will be clear-cut answers that fit each family and child. But, like a growing number of others, I am beginning to question some of the conventions of modern childhood.

We all want the best for our children. We want them to have all of the opportunities that perhaps we did not have as children. But somewhere along the line, let's make sure we aren't shortchanging them of childhood itself. When that brief time is over, it isn't something they will be able to find again... ever. So let them have days where they do nothing but explore the backyard or idle away hours constructing things out of paper and tape. Let them sword fight and play dress up. Let them be chldren for as long as they can.