- Home
- Find a Therapist
- Topic Streams
- Get Help
Mental Health
Addiction
ADHD
Anxiety
Asperger's
Autism
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
Eating Disorders
Insomnia
OCDPersonality
Passive Aggression
Personality
ShynessPersonal Growth
Happiness
Goal Setting
Positive PsychologyRelationships
Low Sexual Desire
Relationships
SexEmotion Management
Anger
Procrastination
StressFamily Life
Adolescents
Child Development
Elder Care
Parenting
SiblingsRecently Diagnosed?
Diagnosis Dictionary
- Magazine
- Tests
- Psych Basics
- Experts
I remember the day my daughter (now age 24 years) discovered her feet. I had dressed her with brightly colored socks and laid her down on her back in the middle of our big bed. As she waved her feet back and forth, one foot passed through her field of view. She looked startled and was able to move the foot back into view. Over and over again, she wiggled her foot, saw it wiggle, and laughed. This was a big day for our little girl. She now knew what it felt like to wiggle her foot and that she could control its movements.
Learning
Our educational system and that of the rest of the world is obsessed with data gathering but not what we do with the data in real life once we have it.
The use of technology in school makes it easier to process information
and learn data but does little to help us make us wiser.
Recess
Dr. Barry, I agree with you 100% that it would be a
very good thing for schools to allow more time for
recess and movement and art and hands-on learning, etc.
But I do think it is unfair the way just about everyone
focuses only on the schools. Kids today spend, on average,
more time during the year watching TV than in school.
If parents got rid of the TV, or severely curtailed it's
use, kids would have plenty of time to explore the real
world. Also, before the electronic babysitter took over,
communities made a much bigger effort to provide parks,
and playgrounds, and clubs and afterschool activities
to keep kids "out of trouble".
Note, it has become very fashionable to decry the effects
of video games and the internet on kids and completely
ignore TV. The amount of time that pre-teens spend on the
internet and/or playing video games is tiny compared to
the time they spend in front of the tube.
TV is still the 800 pound gorilla that no one wants to
talk about.
Recess
Dear Terry S,
You are absolutely right. We tend to blame our schools for all our social ailments. The fact that the schools do not have the money for art or music classes or for science laboratories is a reflection of our society's priorities.
The TV has drastically reduced the amount of time our kids engage in play . Your comment about the effects of TV on the building of parks and playgrounds is fascinating and sobering.
Sue Barry
What Works
Hey Dr. Barry, thank you for doing your part
to get the word out!
Just as science is finding exactly does make kids
smarter and healthier and happier, such as:
- creative play
- playing with other kids
- the arts (music, drawing, theatre, crafts)
- exercise
- games
- etc.
Kids continue to be stressed-out at school,
and at home spending so much of their free time
alone, in front of the ubiquitous TV babysitter.
It is ironic (and sad) that this scientific info
on what does work is too rarely being implemented.
---
Post new comment