Imagination just as important for children as books
"I don't have any [imagination]," I used to tell my mother. But the truth is, my childhood was replete with unstructured time and full of imaginative play. However, for this generation of students, that answer might just be true. They are intensely scheduled, pressured and expected to excel in all areas of life except free time.
"Use your imagination," was my mother's exasperated reply to my whiny claims of boredom one day when I was little. "I don't have any," I exclaimed. But the truth is, my childhood was replete with unstructured time and full of imaginative play.
I fear, however, that for this generation of students who are intensely scheduled, pressured and expected to excel in all areas of life except free time, that answer might just be true.
We all want what's best for our children, but determining what that is and how to get there is not easy. In our best effort to shepherd them through this harsh, competitive world, we fight their every battle, smooth every bump, give them every advantage and then we wonder why they can't do anything for themselves.
A practising psychologist and bestselling author, Dr Madeline Levine has identified alarming rates of depression among teenagers who are adored by their parents and successful by any measure, but who are feeling empty and lost, with no sense of self or purpose in life.
Levine has dedicated her recent years of practice to identifying this alarming trend of performance-based, pressure-cooker culture among teens and offering alternative parenting strategies to help mitigate it.
In her bestselling book, The Price of Privilege, Levine explains how parental pressure and material advantage are creating a generation of disconnected and unhappy kids. Her second book, Teach Your Children Well, tackles the contemporary narrow definition of success and provides practical suggestions for raising truly successful children in all aspects of life.