I came across this lovely article by Dr Peter Gray a few weeks ago, and his lovely description of what it was like to be a child in the 1950s resonated with me and my childhood in the late 70s. We really did have a lot of freedom, and a lot of physical activity. We ran about in our local “street gangs” of kids of various ages on bikes or on foot, we built snow forts in the middle of the street circle with the tonnes of snow we had, fought wars, strategized capture the flag in teams, and grew in ways kids these days don’t seem to. Academia has a place, I think the basic life skills of maths, reading and writing empower young children to grow and make good and better choices for themselves. Longer hours and more days at school are simply not the answer.
Spending time with adults who are chained to desks or working all the hours God sends leads to a serious imbalance in life, health and family relationships. It’s time to right the balance, and that begins with allowing our children to truly be children.
Enjoy the read and watch the little video.
M
Adventures in family health 