A few years ago John Cloud of TIME Magazine wrote that the idea that kids are overscheduled and need to slow down is “a fine example of transference. Aren’t you really the one who wants to lose the BlackBerry and go fishing?” Looks like he was right. The Washington Post takes note of new research that indicates kids not only cope with a heavy schedule, but thrive with it. It’s the parents, however, who are stressed out. And, (as is often the case when members of professional classes feel burdened by a problem) it’s not that much of an issue to begin with.
Two studies based on data about how children spend their days show that only a minority are heavily scheduled and that organized activities are linked to positive outcomes in school, emotional development, family life and behavior. The children most at risk have no activities at all, the studies showed.
“I found the opposite of what I expected,” Sandra L. Hofferth, director of the Maryland Population Research Center at the University of Maryland at College Park, tells the Post. Hofferth “started out with a pretty solid belief that lots and lots of activities are bad for children.” But, says the paper, she found a higher level of activity was not linked to such stress symptoms as depression, anxiety, alienation and fearfulness.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warned in 2006 that a hurried lifestyle could create anxiety or contribute to depression for some children.
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