Many parents these days, especially moms, do not allow children to play outdoors by themselves and are constantly keeping an eye while their child is playing with their friends.
Modern day parenting expectations have put a lot of pressure on parents, which is not the best thing for their children either.
According to a new study from the University of Essex, being constantly monitored by parents is limiting opportunities for children to enjoy “spontaneous play”. This can impact their overall development and growth.
Expectations from parents have changed
“Until around the 1990s, parents were not expected to endlessly entertain and monitor their children in the same way they are today, so children had greater freedom to play independently,” study’s author Dr. John Day said, Fox news quoted. “But since those children have become parents themselves, society has changed so there is a heightened feeling of responsibility for their children’s development.”
The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Sociology of Health & Illness’.
Left less time for spontaneous forms of play
Dr. Day, who works at Essex’s School of Health and Social Care, conducted in-depth interviews with 28 UK residents born between 1950 and 1994. Many parents born after the late 1960s, who started parenting in the early 1990s, felt pressure to make sure their children were active amid concerns about their health. However, this left less time for spontaneous forms of play. According to the findings, the rise in structured physical activity for children happened in tandem with the decline in children playing spontaneously.
Being protective may be limiting your child
“One aspect of the problem is increased fears around stranger danger and more traffic on the roads which means opportunities for children to be physically active through spontaneous play have become limited,” Dr. Day explained.
The study found that in recent years, parents are expected to spend more time “watching, noticing and responding to their children’s desires and behaviors,” according to a news release about the study.
Children these days are less independent
As a result of being constantly watched by their parents, children have less time to play independently and learn the risks and dangers of outdoor play by themselves. To make things worse, children these days are more sedentary as they choose to spend more time using technology and less time playing with their friends.
What can be done?
“Parents are encouraged to spend more time with their children while simultaneously being judged on how independent their children are,” Dr. Day said. “But most of the learning about independence takes place when children take risks of their own choosing and these opportunities are becoming lost in childhood.”
