What’s wrong with boys? Last week we learned that parents of nearly one of every five U.S. boys have sought professional help about their sons’ emotional or behavioral problems. Newsweek’s Peg Tyre thinks it has a lot to do with changing child rearing and education practices over the last ten years–overscheduling, instead of structured play. Learning Mandarin in preschool instead of playing Duck, Duck, Goose. Schools, says Tyre, have become increasingly terra incognita for boys
In many communities, elementary schools have become test-prep factories—where standardized testing begins in kindergarten and “teaching to the test” is considered a virtue. At the same time, recess is being pushed aside in order to provide extra time for reading and math drills. So is history and opportunities for hands-on activities—like science labs and art. Active play is increasingly frowned on—some schools have even banned recess and tag. In the wake of school shootings like the tragedy at Virginia Tech, kids who stretch out a pointer finger, bend their thumb and shout “pow!” are regarded with suspicion and not a little fear.
In short, the bar of our expectations for kids has been set higher, but the psychological and physical development of our children hasn’t changed. “Some kids are thriving in the changing world,” notes Tyre. “But many aren’t. What parents and teachers see is that the ones who can’t handle it are disproportionately boys.”
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