This was a very interesting article, but I’m not sure I agree with all the conclusions. It was written in 1981, so it’s a bit dated in terms of psychological research. Still, many of the arguments will, I’m sure, be familiar to you.
What do you think? We'll blog about this on Monday, 3/3. Here are some of my musings to consider:
I had never heard the expression “early ripe, early rot!”, but now it does seem antiquated. Child psychology tells us that children are ripe for learning early in life. Language acquisition, for example, becomes more difficult the older one becomes. Most people understand the value of early childhood education, since we see the results of an early lack of stimulation into adulthood.
Is there a difference between children “growing up too fast,” and children who are pressured to excel at an early age? More and research suggests that children need unstructured play in order to harness their imaginative and creative potential. Obviously our test-driven, achievement oriented culture is in conflict with such findings. See the recent New York Times article.
According to everything I’ve seen, teen pregnancy rates are actually in decline in most states. Anecdotal evidence I’ve come across does suggest that children and adolescence do suffer from more “stress diseases” than in the past, but this is also true of adults. Crime may indeed be linked to children wanting to be adults, but it seems that crime is a result of many factors which may be hard to isolate. I also wonder if cult membership is on the rise. I would venture to guess that adults are just as susceptible to cults as young people, and that part of this is a natural tendency to want to belong. I also might question the discussion on suicide. I believe suicide is a leading cause of death among teens, but adults, especially the elderly, seem to be keeping up.
Here's a recent article from
Psychology Today
which shares a different perspective on "our hurried children." It suggests that there is an "artificial extension of childhood."
Some essay suggestions:
1. Do you agree with Elkind’s view of childhood? Are children’s lives too hurried? What solutions would you propose?
2. Connect Elkind’s view of childhood with Connie’s situation in “Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been?” and Sammy's in “A&P."
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2 comments:
Clary,
In regards to the fact that you do not necessarily agree with the comclusions drawn by this article and the fact that you do not consider us high school students to be "children", where do you draw the line between "child" and "adult". Do you think there is an intermediate phase between these two "stages"? I am also curious to know what is concluded in this aricle that you are in dissagreement with.
A good question. I'm not sure where I draw the line. I guess I'm most interested in how we are using language and the effects of language. Certainly there is a vast different between a 5 year old and a 15 year yet we often label them with the same term. From what I've read and studied, I do think adolescence is a distinct stage that can be distinguished from other stages in terms of physical, mental, and emotional attributes.
The conclusions I question have to do with the basic assumption that our children are hurried. I do think there is undo stress placed on children/young adults to achieve. Having said this, I often feel like we expect little from young adults when they are capable of so much. (I don't just mean homework!)
At the same time, in the face of AIDS/STDs/teen pregnancy more teens are choosing abstinence even in the face of media that "sexualizes" children. In other words, the trends of the 1980s are not necessary the trends of the 2000s. I would, of course, want to delve in the research to confirm these ideas.
Clary
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