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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Yummy!! Thanks P&J, now you've made me even hungrier!! And DS and I just finished our breakfast of poptarts and Orange Crush. Sigh . . .
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Ah but then the kids fight over what to watch.
&nbs
I understand that you may rarely use it and it may have simply 'come with the package'. . .but why have it (in general, not you specifically) if it's only for 'long trips' and you (again, general you) rarely take long trips.
We'd be the same way about it. . .only for trips to see grandparents (because that's the only place we go that's more than a 1-2 hour drive). . .and we only go to see g-parents 3-4 times per year.
Too tempting for me. . .and I guess I'm also a bit too cheap. . .
Virgo
Oh no...all meals must be eaten in front of the TV!
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BTW, in case you didn't know I was crumpetsandteagarden.
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