Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) June/July 2020 Aspire Magazine FULL Issue | Page 65
When parents fill all their child’s spare time, not only
can it keep kids from discovering what truly interests
them, but too many structured activities create a
reliance on outer stimulation and instant gratification.
RELATIONSHIPS
behind. We want the best for them! We want
them to be happy!
And if the day starts with our kids asking,
“What are we going to do today?” We wonder
what more we can do.
But here’s the thing. Sometimes, less
is more.
Rather than always trying to provide
excitement and activity, which creates high
expectations, what about the value in the
simple pleasures of an ordinary day?
It’s easy to get caught up in tasks and
activities but we don’t have to let how busy
we are become a measure of our worth - or
our kids’ success.
What if, when your kids ask what you’re doing
for the day, they’re just wondering if they’ll
have time to get out all their toys and play or if
you’re going to ask them to clean up and get
ready to do something. What if their question
comes from curiosity not expectation?
The Risks of Too Much
We all know that too much of anything can
lead to problems. So, of course, too much free
time with no supervision can be dangerous.
Kids who are looking for excitement might
engage in reckless or risky behavior.
On the flipside, too many activities and
overscheduling our kids can also lead to trouble.
Usually in less obvious or immediate ways.
When parents fill all their child’s spare time,
not only can it keep kids from discovering
what truly interests them, but too many
structured activities create a reliance on
outer stimulation and instant gratification.
With this comes the potential risk to plant
the seeds of addiction - an increasing
and compulsive tendency to avoid pain or
boredom with outer stimulation - rather than
inner development.
Without downtime, kids miss the opportunity
to process their experiences. As hard as it is
for us as parents, it’s critical for our kids to
experience frustration and sit with difficulty
so they have the practice of handling it.
Then, in the future, when faced with difficult
situations they feel capable to figure stuff out
and won’t seek to escape into activity as a
means of avoidance.
The Benefits of
Being Bored
We could all benefit from shifting the focus
from what we need to DO and accomplish
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