Creating Balance in Your Child's Life

Instead of spending time exploring, playing, and relaxing with family members, many children's weekly schedules rival that of a CEO. Music lessons, computer courses, excessive schoolwork -- even playtime is structured into planned "play dates." Time is treated as a scarce commodity, and children are feeling the strain. Many children are exhibiting signs of stress such as sleep problems, nervous exhaustion, nail-biting, hyperactivity, eating disorders, and aggressive feelings. Beth Wilson Saavedra explains how parents can create a healthier balance in their child's life by identifying each child's unique temperament and reshaping their schedules to include time for relaxing and discovering activities and experiences on their own. By creating a balance between free time and structured activities, parents can help their children feel less stress, be less rushed, and give them the opportunity to "just be kids."
-- Children are now more often experiencing the symptoms of stress, such as aggressive behavior, sleep problems, and eating disorders
-- Provides tools for parents to identify each child's individual temperament and tailor the best balance of free and structured time to the child's personality
-- Offers solutions to parents who want to give their children opportunities but do not want to put undue stress on them