Give the kids a break!

Two stories crossed the radar today on the same subject, overstressed youth. The Chicago Tribune had this story on the front page of the Metro section:

Just how to handle overscheduled, stressed-out teens–many angling for the perfect resume for elite colleges–has interested schools more in recent years. Some have eliminated class rank. Others have tried forcing kids to take a lunch break rather than cramming in extra classes.

Younger kids are not immune, either. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a report Monday saying too many children have too much to do and miss out on spontaneous, free play time.

That report was the catalyst for the other story, which hit the press this week.

U.S. pediatricians should add “stress checks” to children’s exams to ensure that overbooking of enrichment activities isn’t hurting their physical or mental health, the American Academy of Pediatrics says Monday.

The report, intended to guide doctors, laments that time for imaginative free play is slipping away from American kids. They need blocks, dolls, books, physical play and, at all ages, “downtime,” says pediatrician Kenneth Ginsburg of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Instead, some live in an orchestrated world of heavily marketed videos, computer games and TV and constant schlepping to adult-organized activities, says Ginsburg, author of the report.

“A lot of pediatricians are seeing stress in children with this kind of schedule. It’s not true for all kids, but it is a serious problem,” Ginsburg says.

Mercatornet carried this story on their invaluable global service. Good thing. These kids are the future of the world. And they’re already carrying the weight of it before their time.

No matter how old our children are, it’s never too late to ease up and give them the gift of time. Free time.

And all of our support.