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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<> I just don't think between the ages of 12 and their first visit with the GYN at say 17 or 18, that sex is a medical or health issue in terms of, well, real medicine. I'll give them the same and more (because I see them everyday) info that I think a ped. will give them. If they want bcps early, God help me, then I think we'll definitely see an OB at that point.
If there were easy answers, motherhood would be easier! I hope I do "it" right.
She also gave me a "kit" when I got my period and took me to the pediatrician a day or 2 later. The kit was a big box, like you might get with a lego set! It had a few cute little books teling ya to get plenty of sleep and keep fresh and clean each day, samples of different pads and tampons and a few diagrams about how to use a tampon. In my mother's eyes...problem solved! What a different era!
Which is it?
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