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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Smoking and exercise have much to do with heart health. Videogames and tv are only arguably related to eyestrain - no definite connnection to poor eyesight according to the "studies" and not a huge health issue - by far - compared to smoking and exercise. Vidoes and tv are related to avoidance of homework and failure to reach one's IQ. Without more, they are merely a parental issue and any parent who needs a dr. to tell her that her child is playing too many videogames and watching too much tv likely already knew that. Or is an idiot.
What other purpose in this summary than to incite ill will and attack CCP? Could you get anymore catty?
Jealous because what difference does it make if CCP watches unlimited tv and then chooses to sah? As you know, children are incapable of sitting in front of the tv from breakfast to nighttime 7 days a week. Sah will require a lot of work on the part of CCP. I just can't fathom the reason for your insult.
Now if you're talking a serious medical health issue, then that would be important to investigate. But in no way is tv watching a medical health issue. At worst it causes eye strain. The real problems - avoidance of doing any intellectual exercises such as homework, board games, interraction with parents/siblings - are wholly within the realm of parenting problems.
Just a note. . .pediatricians are doctors who specialize in the treatment of children.
Excessive TV time, in conjunction with poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle (and the three are
And if a pediatrician asked if a teen-aged DD of mine had sex, I'd tell him to screw himself. Pervert. That is completely a parenting/child issue. I'll be the one to raise that issue well before the time comes and if that's what pediatricians nowadays will ask my girls when they become teens, maybe I better accompany them into their visits. Is that what your DH asks teenaged girls completely unsolicited? OMG.
I don't know about black or white. I just know what are medical problems and what are parenting problems.
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