June 25 - Pet Peeve Monday - Over Scheduled Children

This week’s PET PEEVE MONDAY is the parents that WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO GROW UP TOO FAST.

From the Associated Press came this story last week:

“NEW DELHI (AP) - Indian police arrested the physician parents of a 15-year-old boy who allegedly carried out a caesarean section birth under their supervision in an attempt to set a Guinness record, an official said Monday.

An Indian Medical Association chapter in the southern state of Tamil Nadu said last week that Dr. K. Murugesan showed a video recording of his son, Dhileepan Raj, performing a caesarean in an apparent bid to gain a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's youngest surgeon.”

An eight or nine year old girl died last year when she was piloting a plane in Indiana. Actually she wasn’t piloting, she was crashing. She was also tying to set a record.

Let’s let kids be kids. It’s also not solely making Kids GROW UP TOO FAST. It’s about not making them FOCUS on singular activities at a time.

In my spare time I coach youth baseball. Many times, “frustrated” parents confront me. They are perplexed. Little Johnny has soccer at the same time he has baseball. “What should they do?”

Hey Parent of the Year, how about stop double booking your kid like they are the bearded lady from the circus, and allow them to ENJOY one activity. Childhood should not be like the decathlon where they try to do every event. How do you think they will react college when they are faced with multiple drug options? Should they try EVERY drug? No pick one and stick with it.

Another parent calls me every week, because Little Jamey has an ailment. This kid has been on the disabled list longer than Josh Hancock. In the last four weeks, Jamey has had a sore throat, an upset tummy, a twisted ankle, and a headache. Hey Parent of the Year, maybe Little Jamey doesn’t want to play baseball.

Still another youth, Little Sybil, shows up every week in a stellar mood. Sybil’s parents explain that Sybil is “tired.” Hey Parent of the Year, I don’t do bed checks on six year olds. Get the kid to bed early. Get them to the game: rested, fed, and dressed. Also if you could have them go to the bathroom before they get into the outfield that would be cool as well.

It’s even got to a point where these kids can’t even focus on a single video game platform. They have to have the XBOX, the Play Station, and the Wii. And the parents wonder why Little Johnny can’t get through his homework without LOSING FOCUS.

Maybe, I came form a simpler time. I played baseball and studied or worked during other seasons, so I could PLAY BASEBALL. Today, I still PLAY BASEBALL.

I didn’t burn out on it like I did at piano lessons. Then again, no baseball coach was cracking my knuckles with a ruler every time I struck out.

So Parents, in summary, let Kids be Kids at their own pace, not yours. Be a parent not a Scheduling Maven.

There are no awards for being able to have your child do boy scouts, swim team, baseball, soccer, and a “play date” all in one day.

The child will enjoy the down time, and so will you.