Overbooked

After discussing the phenomenon of overbooked children and how prevalent it has become in pop culture and parenting culture, I wonder how childhood moved in this direction. In the past kids had a lot more time to play with each other and outside, which has now been shown to be extremely valuable to their development. It would stand to reason that TV, the internet and the constant communication our society has come to demand are contributing factors, but in a modern world where there are fewer real responsibilities for kids I wonder how we progressed to this point. In the somewhat distant past, children had many more household responsibilities because of the lack of modern conveniences and in many cases they had to help with the family business, whether it was a farm, store or craft. Only the elite were excused and they often had private tutors with additional academic responsibilities. So in a modern world with studies showing the benefits of unstructured play where we put laundry in a machine and make dinner in a microwave, why are children more over-scheduled than ever? Why haven't these studies had more influence over the parenting culture that forces kids to work more hours in the day than their parents? This also makes me wonder what we can be doing to advocate for down time or even give it to them in libraries. Certainly in a school the librarian could make their period one for quiet reading, but a public library can be a lot more hectic. What kinds of programs could allow kids to just be themselves without worrying about school, extra-curriculars or other responsibilities?