I am astounded at the volume of school work our children handle everyday, both in class and as homework. I watched as my wards got home from school at 4.00pm, barely had time to wolf down lunch,then it was time for their private lessons,which usually lasted till 6.30pm. Afterwards we would catch up with our day, play, or just laze around. Most times, they were too stressed to chat with me. I even noticed that the older boy had sunken eyes. Needless to say the 5.00am wake up time and subsequent activities left him fatigued. Weekends were also packed for sports and all. This situation had to change and it it! We made more time for rest and rejuvenation.
I remember my own time as a child. We got home by 1.30pm and had ample time to eat, do some chores and have lessons.
Kids today are handling so much stress with school work, peer pressure and sometimes, family troubles. I am an advocate for helping kids handle school work, knowing how to plan their work and how to manage their time. To help them further, I think we should reconsider the volume of work and activities our kids are involved in. Can we have the teachers doing more in class and less volume of homework? Can we watch out for the children who are getting sick and irritable just by the sheer stress of day to day?
Children, in bid to please adults, are ready to go on working till they collapse. We must see that they have some downtime to refresh and restore their bodies and soul.
Children, in bid to please adults, are ready to go on working till they collapse. We must see that they have some downtime to refresh and restore their bodies and soul.
Here is a link to a website giving hints and help for handling or preventing stressed-up children.
https://psychcentral.com/lib/7-tips-for-helping-your-child-manage-stress/
- Kirsten Okenwa
https://psychcentral.com/lib/7-tips-for-helping-your-child-manage-stress/
- Kirsten Okenwa
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