In the past decade many of the most popular Best Selling books about parenting and raising healthy children, have proffered profoundly important and deep messages. Using a mix of research and empirical observation, illustrated with countless anecdotal case studies, they have taught us repeatedly these breakthrough revelations:
• Spoiling kids is bad for them.
• Too much instant gratification (e.g. media) is bad for them.
• Too much ‘left brain’ school work – especially at young ages – is bad for them.
• Too much sugar is bad for kids.
• Exercise and movement is crucial for healthy development
• Play, especially outdoors, is good for kids.
• Creativity and imagination is good for kids.
• People don’t have to go to an ‘elite’ college to have professional success in life.
Let me repeat that last one as it is almost mind blowing in its assertion: People do not have to go to an IVY to have professional success in life. Really – read it yourself if you don’t believe it.
Can you sense my over-the-top sarcastic tone?
I mean, isn’t this stuff BLATANTLY OBVIOUS?
Don’t we all know this from our own upbringing and life experience?
Don’t we all know thousands of people who are successful in the careers without having gone to a prestigious school?
Don’t we all know that we feel healthier, more centered and more alive after a good long hike or swim in the outdoors?
Don’t we all know that most of the joys of our childhood came from countless hours of spontaneous play?
Do we really need to read books scientifically proving these things and validated by expert endorsement?
Ironically, apparently the answer is yes.
But why? Why have so many highly educated, successful, intelligent Gen-Xers forgotten what works? What is distracting us, scaring us, confusing us, convincing us, to ignore what we instinctively know to be true?
Beginning next week I will be posting a series of very critical entries about this topic.
It is time we step up and take back rationality, reason and our humanness.
We must do it before it is too late for our children.