I kept waiting to get my pat on the head this morning while I was reading the New York Times Magazine cover story on taking play seriously.
I just knew I'd be congratulated for not overscheduling my children.
The author was certain to conclude my kids' preschools were excellent
choices -- devoid of any emphasis on academics and early reading and
Suzuki violin classes as they were.
But no pat. No
congratulations. Likewise, no admonishments or wagging fingers that my
children aren't being adequately enriched. What I learned from the
piece is that there's still so much to learn about play -- why kids
(and other animals) do it, what the benefits of play are, whether a
lack of play harms, and whether totally undirected play is better than
directed play (there's no evidence that it is!).
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