Hooray for Kirsty Young!

[Love2Dance]

What a relief. Anyone else felt overwhelmed by the pressure to turn your dc into little geniuses? See Kirsty's comments in the latest Radio Times or today's Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6931304/Kirsty-Young-Britain-has-become-a-c hild-centric-society-with-too-many-pushy-parents.html.

Starts (innocently enough I s'pose ) with classes like: baby signing/baby language classes/baby maths/baby aromatherapy (delete as appropriate) and builds up to a competitive sport in which pushy parents project all their wanting the best for their dc/insecurities into the poor child.

I want the best for my little one and worked hard to become a professional myself but let's give the little ones a break eh?

Oh mine thrived on benign neglect. Both went swimming till they could do a length but that was about it. Both got good degrees and are successful by many measures.

Yes hooray for her. I agree totally. She's always good value on 'have I got news for you', too.

Go Kirsty!

Oh god yes what a breath of fresh air. Loads of parents like that round here and some very stressed and unhappy children.

Encouraging academic ability = fine, making it life goal and and getting your child to top of league table = not fine at all

Its so easy to get carried along on the wave of after school clubs. We've just stopped all but one, poor boy, 7, was exhausted!

There's plenty of time for academic and sporting 'work' later on. For now he can just enjoy his Lego.

A friend's little boy does: swimming, skiing, boys brigade, football and singingclasses after school. She had to cut back on some activities towards the end of termas the poor kid was exhausted. He is 5!

I thought she was wonderful-especially in saying that parents shouldn't live through their DCs.

Yep agreed with her completely. I think all the pressure on parents is passed onto their children and it is all just not worth it. I would love it if my DS, now 2.2 years old, wanted to learn to play a musical instrument or had a passion for sport but if he doesn't then that isn't a problem. I think its the difference between encouraging your children and pushing them into doing something they don't really want to do!

I also agree. Both my DH and I have PhDs and were brought up playing freely (and yes, watching TV!!!). My parents took me to swimming classes whilst I was primary school age but only because I wanted to; also I had some extra tuition in English and Maths around 9-11yo because I needed it. But ultimately my parents were benignly neglectful and I was pretty much free to do what I wanted with my time. I think I turned out fine and hope I do not feel the peer pressure to inflict loads of classes and activities on my DD (now 19m). She plays so well on her own (she likes pottering around!) and I am sure her natural likes and interests will naturally surface over time.

Besides, I am a firm believer that allowing your LOs to play freely (and even get bored!) encourages them to be creative and independent.

I have a friend whose DS does the following

French
Piano
Football
Karate
Athletics
Swimming
Kumon Maths and English

He is 4yo and started reception in Septmber 2009.

He is also badly behaved and highly strung. I think he is exhausted but it is not my place to say so.