The big story in Wednesday's paper is a report that says children in affluent communities like Naperville are particularly stressed. While kids everywhere can be stressed, the report identifies three factors specific to Naperville: “too much academic, sports and materialistic competition; over involvement in community/school activities and trying to live up to an image of ‘the perfect Naperville.’”
The report was released by the Collaborative Youth Team, facilitated by KidsMatter and funded by United Way. Wednesday's story explains how adults need to be aware of how much stress their children are experiencing. How concerned are you that your child may be feeling pressured to become a super-achiever?
Kids as well as parents need to understand what is important. Expectations are fine; however, being realistic is much more important. Everyone wants their children to achieve and be even greater successes than themselves that is a given. But children must strive to be their own persons and develop their own sense of self and personality. We cannot force our children to be our exact duplicates but can support them to be the great individual they are meant to be by allowing them their own personal and individual space and thinking patterns. The best thing any parent can give to their children is a sense of self and their time. Although children like to achieve in academics as well as sports, the most a parent can give is themselves. Get to know your child as a person and who they are by spending "quality" time with them. What is the "perfect Napervillian" -- a well rounded, respectful individual that know themselves and how to treat others, this can be taught at a very early age. When this life is over what I'd like to be known for is: "I spent time with my children and spent time to get to know them as individuals."
Just wanted to congratulate the Sun on a great article about some of the issues that are important to Naperville. This is the type of stuff we should be reading about rather than the I Pod wars. Nice job Kate!
I hope to see more on this topic in the future, because I think it's a very real problem.
Delighted to see results of the Naperville United Way initiative spearheaded by Kidsmatter. We generally just know of the United Way sculptures and don't realize the impact that continues to be made with our donations. We are fortunate to have the Naperville United Way dedicated to our local efforts and a Community Impact Plan to guide dollars to the programs making the biggest impact in our communities.
The work that Naperville's CYT has been doing and will continue to do is very much needed. I have often felt that our children are experiencing life challenges much earlier in life than their biologically able to. Though the world is evolving faster than ever and world information is at our fingertips the Human development really has not changed. " Children playing adult games". When it comes right down to it we need to guide, comfort, and assist our children to make the right decisions in life. The challenges of simply living is the issue. Safe environments like their school, their sports, and their homes is what kids are looking for...yes, they feel stress, but I also feel that it is also related to the many outside signals they are receiving...AIM, Text Messaging, Telephone, TV, Video Games...etc. Parents and community need to work together to provide the structure and support they need. LOVE and TIME spent with your kids talking, not doing, is KEY!!
it will be interesting to see if this story - that impacts kids all through Naperville - will have people talking as much as they did about last year's iPod story.
I wonder if the Sun will give this issue a fraction of the press coverage and attention that it wasted on the I-Pod story last year?!
I was delighted to read the results of the Naperville United Way initiative spearheaded by Kidsmatter. My hope is that some of the teachers in District 203 see the results. The amount of homework that is required is over the top and is getting in the way of allowing teens to lead a balance life.