I recently read this article on USNews.com which touches on one of my strong parental beliefs that most kids (and adults) are totally over-programmed. I realize that this study was conducted with very young children and compared those who nap with those who don’t , but the findings of the study clearly relate to what goes on in later years.

I live in Manhattan where there is no limit to the activities available to children, even to babies as young as 3 months old.  We’ve all read or been told that kids need “down time” but as parents, we often secretly fear that our children aren’t being exposed to as many experiences as the children of our peers. Whether it be sports, music lessons, art classes, tutors etc., it’s just hard to keep up.

Maybe the excuse is that if your child isn’t engaged in an after school or weekend activity, they’ll likely just sit in front of the TV or the X Box. This is a particular concern for parents of city kids who don’t have a  backyard to run in or a basketball hoop in the driveway. That little voice inside you knows that when you were a kid, you were forced to find ways to keep yourself entertained and engaged.. My little voice firmly believes that there are tremendous benefits to that. But yet still, we struggle to keep up.

So, while I don’t believe that children should be coming home from their day in 4th grade and taking a nap before starting their homework, I do believe that they absolutely need time to decompress. I would be curious to see a similar study comparing kids who are involved in moderate extra curricular activities versus those who are scheduled to the hilt. Something tells me that there would indeed be differences in their levels of anxiety, depression and hyperactivity, too.

My goal for now is to refrain from trying to keep up with the Joneses and instead, strive to be the best Addeos we can be. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.