Dear Mom, Clear My CalendarSeptembe

Dear Mom, Clear My Calendar
September is around the corner, and some of us are already complaining about summer’s end. But parents have a special reason to do so. The end of summer means the start of school. And these days, planning a young child’s schedule is a big challenge. The challenge is no longer finding activities to fill a child’s day; it is saying no to the hundreds of options available. Our mailbox is filled with brochures urging us to sign our kids up for classes from cooking to martial arts(武术).
Educators are themselves discouraged by the number of special classes that many children attend. In the name of “enrichment,” three-year-olds not only go to preschool in the morning but study French or gymnastics after lunch. One teacher tells of a four-year-old asking for help in the toilet before hurrying off to tennis. Another teacher says that children sometimes hold on to her at pickup time. What happened to unstructured time?
A generous explanation is that we enjoy giving children opportunities we never had. The truth however is that many parents have doubts about how much time they spend away from their families. And one way to reduce this guilt is to believe that time spent in these classes is somehow more beneficial to children than the time we know we should be giving them ourselves.
David Elkind, an expert on children, suggests that the 1960s gave birth to the belief that earlier is better. Parents hope that early music lessons, for example will build a child’s confidence. The truth, however, is that any time children are asked to do too much, too soon, they are at greater risk for feelings of failure.
A child’s time does not have to be planned to be meaningful. Remember the lazy days of summer? Some children sleep late and play with the kids across the street until it’s time to come home for dinner. However, with the majority of mothers working, fewer children enjoy that idle (空闲的) time now.
Come September, children across the country will finish a full day of kindergarten, only to attend an after-school program until 6 P.M., when a working mom or dad comes to take them home. That’s too much for a five-year old. Finances, of course, do limit some parents. But let’s be honest with ourselves – our own busy schedules, whatever they involve, are no excuse for burdening a young child’s.

結果 (中文) 1:

亲爱的妈妈，清除我的日历9 月在拐角处，和我们有些人已经开始抱怨夏天的结束。但父母有特别的理由这样做。夏天的结束意味着新学期的开始。这些天来，一个年轻的孩子计划是一个巨大的挑战。所面临的挑战不再是发现活动，以填补一个孩子一天;它说不到数以百计的可用选项。我们的邮箱被充满敦促我们签署我们的孩子送人从烹饪到武术 arts(武术) 类的小册子。教育者是自己气馁的许多儿童参加的特殊类的数量。以"充实"三岁不仅早上去学前班，午饭后学习法语或体操。一位老师讲述了四岁之前赶紧掉到网球, 在厕所里求助。另一位老师说，孩子们有时坚持她在收件时间。非结构化的时间发生了什么事?慷慨的解释是，我们喜欢给孩子们我们从来没有过的机会。不过是，很多家长有真理怀疑多少时间他们花离他们的家庭。减少这种内疚感的一种方法是相信时间花在这些类是某种程度上更有益于孩子们比我们知道我们应该让他们自己的时间。David Elkind, an expert on children, suggests that the 1960s gave birth to the belief that earlier is better. Parents hope that early music lessons, for example will build a child’s confidence. The truth, however, is that any time children are asked to do too much, too soon, they are at greater risk for feelings of failure.A child’s time does not have to be planned to be meaningful. Remember the lazy days of summer? Some children sleep late and play with the kids across the street until it’s time to come home for dinner. However, with the majority of mothers working, fewer children enjoy that idle (空闲的) time now.Come September, children across the country will finish a full day of kindergarten, only to attend an after-school program until 6 P.M., when a working mom or dad comes to take them home. That’s too much for a five-year old. Finances, of course, do limit some parents. But let’s be honest with ourselves – our own busy schedules, whatever they involve, are no excuse for burdening a young child’s.