Helping Kids Learn to Find Balanceby Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger 18 May 2008 07:37 PM We parents and adults talk a great deal and work hard to achieve some semblance of balance in our lives. We try to balance work and family, and even balance the time we spend with different loved ones and the time we are able to set aside just for ourselves. Since we are so busy working on trying to achieve balance in our own lives, we may not think about how we can help our children learn how to have some balance in their lives too. Balance is important for kids too--even small children can really benefit from having a sense of balance in their lives. Too much unstructured time, too many structured activities, too much time at day care or without peer stimulation--you can see how too much of anything at the cost of losing something else can be problematic. As parents, we can help our children learn how to keep different facets of their lives alive and thriving. It can be tempting to put a lot of pressure on a child to do well in school and do homework and studying to extreme. After all, won't this pay off in the long run? Children, however, need down time too. They need the balance of playing with friends, exploring hobbies, reading for fun, or just hanging out and doing nothing. Instead of forcing perfection or a schedule that is too rigid or lopsided, we can encourage and support a more balanced schedule for our children. I think balance can be taught on so many levels: balance out the pizza party and cake, with a dinner of salad and fruit; balance out a busy week of tests with a weekend of lounging around and watching movies. You see how we parents can introduce and encourage balance with our families, and teach our children how to find ways to create and nurture balance in their lives too? Learn more about Kori Rodley Irons  Bio has been removed by administrator Relevantparenting tags User Comments SnickerDooodles (9) 19 May 2008 06:01 AMKori - I want to thank you for your messages on this site. I have been reading them for some time now and you have been so much comfort and help. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your posts.  Kori Rodley Irons (8277) 20 May 2008 08:37 AMThanks for your kind words, SnickerDooodles! It is nice to hear words of encouragement and I certainly try to be helpful whenever I can. Community Tags Balance, healthy choices, time management Discuss this article
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