When did structure become a bad thing?
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| Fri, 07-30-2004 - 8:19am |
We used to live next door to a "no structure" family. The kids ran wild in the neighborhood, the mom never planned dinner so lord only knows if and when the kids ate. Sorry, I don't think that's a good way to live. My kids know we eat dinner at 6:30, so they have to be home.
I can see taht you wouldn't demand that an infant go to bed and wake up at precisely the same time, but is there ever a time to impose structure on a child? So lets say you are the freewheeling type and have always doen things whenever. What happens when you send your child to school where the bell rings at the same time every day?
As far as activities, I realize all kids are different, but when my kids were little, if we just did whatever, whenever, my kids woudl end up grumpy and overtired. My experience is that if say, we were at the beach and I say, oh heck, let's just stay later, the kids woudl be happy at first, but by the days end I would end up with whiny, overtired kids.
Maybe I'm just misinterpreting what I am reading, but I personally think structure is a good thing. When children are small, the structure includes naptimes, mealtimes, etc. As they get older it evolves into boundaries like "be home at 6 for dinner" or "you can't go into soemones house without telling me first". I couldn't imagine living without structure or boundaries for my kids.
Susan

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While it is very important to discuss unwanted pregnancies and STD's with your kids, it does not pre-empt having a doctor do it. In fact, a lot of girls (including my young self) would rather get the clinical information from a doctor because it feels like it is from an unbiased source. When mom delivers a lecture on the dangers of STD's, the kids can't listen objectively because it is so mortifying to even hear the word "sex" come out of a parent's mouth. But a doctor can deliver this same lecture and it will be listened to objectively because it won't be colored by any "mom thinks I do THAT?" or "mom knows I do THAT?" emotion that can cloud the listening.
Edited to add:
I believe your involvement in this subthread started because
-I questioned CP's claim that her pediatrician dh does not believe that excessive TV watching is bad and that he does not ask his patients' parents about TV watching.
-I said that TV watching as well as other "social" questions were important part of a pediatrician's visit.
-You came in and said that it's not the job of the pediatrician.
-I disagreed and said that it is part of what we are taught to do in medical school.
If you wrote something about what is considered standard teaching in law school, I would tend to take it at face value -- because you have had first hand experience.
Edited 8/18/2004 8:06 pm ET ET by iaudrey00
Thanks...we had a great vacation.
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The doctor was most interested in how active he was, how he ate, how he acted when in a new situation or felt scared....these factors all play apart in how the heart works.
PumpkinAngel
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