Children to Robots

The reading, "The Child Trap: The Rise of Overparenting" by Joan Acocella, brought into perspective a rift in the educational playing field. There is a clear advantage of having parents that play a big role in a child’s life, but the disadvantages of a child being guided its entire life can be detrimental. Many children are not fortunate enough to have the parents that guide them and provide the tools to succeed and this is where the rift lies—between apathetic and over nurturing parents. The reading points out that 7% to 9% of students in Washington D.C. were given extra time on their SATs and their scores were correspondingly higher on average which demonstrates an uneven educational playing field. The reading also points out how some parents would shelter their children from germs on shopping carts. Sadly but surely this is true and it is clear that parents just want to protect their children, but what they are essentially doing is hurting the child’s immune system.

As indicated in the reading, from preschool forward, children are forced to begin learning about math and reading and I have seen the truth in this with my younger cousins who are in elementary school. The amount of work they receive as elementary school students is completely unreasonable because children should be given a chance to live and enjoy their lives. Children have turned into robots that parents and schools train to attain the goal of getting into college. The true meaning of obtaining an education has diminished to a simple phrase, “making a lot of money.” The disturbing truth that, “… fifty-five per cent of American men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, and fourteen per cent between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four, live with their parents,” shows how dependent children are on their parents. This trend toward dependent adults is creating a population of “wimps” that do not have the leadership to make it on their own. Another important effect of over-parenting is that it prevents children from developing courage, outside-the-box thinking, and independence which are all important in developing into an adult.

I have seen with my own eyes this sheltering of children with in my own family and it is difficult to judge where to draw the line between fawning over your child and just caring very dearly. My aunt and uncle recently had a baby boy that they are extremely protective over. They never let him wander around the house without someone behind him to make sure he doesn’t fall. Their older child was never allowed to go out to hang out with friends or watch rated R movies. When college applications came around, my aunt and uncle basically decided where my cousin was going to go to college and they even completed the application for him. They sheltered their kids so much that they are deficient in their social skills and their ability to be independent.