The Hurried Child Syndrome
Jacky Dickman
What is the Hurried Child Syndrome?
The Hurried Child Syndrome is a condition where parents over schedule the lives of their children, expect them to act as miniature adults, and push them for academic success.
The Hurried Child is becoming a "norm" in today's society. They have missed things they will never regain.
Medicine is often given to children who are hurried, for their stress levels are too high and may experience headaches or nausea.
The Hurried Child skips stages in development. This issue is snowballing.
Most Common Causes
The Hurried Child Syndrome is most often blamed on the child's parents. When the parent over schedules their child, demands excellence, and doesn't treat their child with love, the child becomes stressed and doesn't know how to handle it. They may also expect their child to care for younger siblings, make food for the family, or clean the house: all jobs a child should not be forced to do. In many cases, medication is forced on the child. When parents aren't there for their child, or neglect them, they can feel it. Also, when parents reduce the amount of free time available to their child, and make the little time they do have scheduled and organized, the child looses time for imagination and time to explore.
Technology Influences
Technology is in part to blame for the Hurried Child Syndrome. When children are exposed to the internet or technology, they are exposed to things they shouldn't be. They see celebrities that they label as idols when they should be exploring their imagination. When they are shoved in front of the television or are handed a laptop to keep them busy, they begin to feel neglected and hurt. The media could also be a factor in the Hurried Child Syndrome. Children build unrealistic expectations for themselves as well as what their parents have established.
Materialistic Changes
When comparing the toys of today's society and the toys of the past, you will definitely notice a significant difference. Toys are becoming more and more revealing. Children are ditching toys at the age of six to grow up; toys don't matter to them anymore. The line separating childhood and adulthood are becoming blurry. Children's "brand awareness" is developing much younger as a result, too. They begin to worry at a much younger age what brand their clothes are and will only wear certain things.
Effects
The hurried child may experience depression or loss of motivation. Some even go through a "midlife" crisis as teens because they are pressured into success. Other consequences are alcohol and drug abuse, teen pregnancy, crime rates, and obesity. For example, sexually active teenagers rose from 10% in the 1960's to 70% today. 40% of these will result in teen pregnancy. Also, 5,000 teenagers commit suicide each year and many attempt to take their lives; suicide and homicide rates have tripled. These could all be caused by the Hurried Child Syndrome. Another effect of the Hurried Child Syndrome is the loss of their sense of curiosity.