The Hurried Children
BJ
What is Hurried Child Syndrome?
Hurried Child Syndrome is where a child is not necessarily forced into growing up faster, but does infact grow up faster than they should. Examples could be acting like an adult, not playing with toys, overly mature for their age, etc.
How is a child Hurried?
There are many different ways a child can be hurried into growing up. Their schedule could be over loaded and allowing no time for play. Tragic events in their lives such as death, moving, school bullying, etc. can mentally damage a person, and force them to grow up to the realization of life. Also, they could also lose the freedom of creativity in areas such as pretending Santa is real, or believing they were dropped off by a pelican.
What can parents do?
Everyone loves to play. Whether you are a grown adult, or a tiny baby, playing with your toys and etc. is always fun. However, play is more than simply having fun. It allows for creativity, enjoyment, personal fulfillment, etc. Allow your child time to play, given a few hours a day perhaps 2-3 would be reasonable. After taking out sleep, school, and eating you are left with around 6 hours of potential. This means that you need to schedule your child correctly. Be home for them, don't avoid them, answer their questions, listen to their ideas, and most importantly PLAY WITH THEM. Let them decide what they find fun, and let them engage in those activities. Forcing your child to go out for sports, perform in musicals, etc. is not the right plan of action.
A general one sentence answer to how you could prevent hurried child could look like this: Let your children play, let them pick their activities, and be there for them when you need them.