"Too many children today do nothing and therefore feel like they are nothing"
I want to play with the idea that many of the activities they do engage in are over-supervised by adults.
Consider fund-raisers for summer-camp and other causes. For the most part, they have been "taken over" by adults. How can a kid have any sense of ownership?
Back-in-the-day, it was a couple of kids going door-to-door selling popcorn, cookie-dough, "Tom Watt" merchandise, magazine subscriptions...or a swarm of kids with leaf-rakes doing the same.
When was the last time you saw kids playing unsupervised ball in a vacant lot or seining wild-life out of a local creek? Those kids were learning the life-lessons they would need later in life.
I don't have an answer but I am pretty sure it is not giving your kid an upgraded, hand-held electronic device. It is letting them have a tool-box with real, adult quality tools. It is letting them make mistakes. It is doing your darnedest to find like-minded parents so your kids have peers to armor them against those who will mock them.
It is also learning to say "No." firmly and when it is appropriate.
"No, you are not going to North Carolina for spring training with your JV high school team."
"No, you are not joining a travel-league which will tie-up every weekend of the year for our family."
"No, you cannot go on that co-ed, over-night trip to the concert.",,
Had to google "Tom Watt". I had a sheltered upbringing...
ReplyDeleteA highlight of parenting was hanging way back while my youngun went door-to-door selling apples. The entire enterprise- I mean all of it- was her idea and her labor. She didn't make much money but did profit enormously. Made me proud...
I remember selling the chocolate bars as a kid, but I don't think it was from Tom Watt.
DeleteAnyone remember the ' "Grit" newspaper' ads in the comic books?
We used to sel boxes of candy to support the Boy Scout troop used for stuff like new tents. We were given a base amount and if we sold it all we could get more. My friends and I played baseball and touch foot ball on vacant lot and pick up bucket ball at the end a nearby dead end street. Rainy days we played hearts or some other card game at one of our houses.
ReplyDeleteMy last month paycheck was for 11000 dollars… 3-4 hours/day ,./95 bucks every hour…..>
ReplyDeletehttps://www.pay.salary49.com
What? Not let your kid go on an overnight concert trip? How do you expect the 'groomers' to get close to your kid? OH wait - wrong question?
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