Grandpa Richards Kids

I read with interest a news item ( click here ) about comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In an interview, Rowan Williams says children who are rushed between ballet, violin, and swimming classes are being suffocated by their parents’ desire for them to excel. He calls on parents who both work, to put their children ahead of their careers.

It seems to me that many children do not get a chance to just be kids. Their lives are overly orchestrated, and this leads to stunted emotional development. Let’s face it, we have addictive computer games, internet social sites and instant messaging, over-testing, increased traffic, and a fear of strangers that means they hardly ever play outside.

I know that I’ll get “blasted” for this one, but last and not least is the impact that work has on dual career families. On the one side is success and on the other are programmed kids who get the dubious rewards that 2 higher powered careers bring.