Just read a great article about overparenting, a subject I could write and write about. One of the smaller points it makes is that letting children play on their own actually helps the brain make more connections and grow more than if you always play with them and facilitate their play. This, in fact, "causes their nervous systems to literally shrink." Whew! Finally support for not feeling guilty for cleaning the kitchen rather than getting down on the floor with the duplos. My instinct has been that playing on their own is good for them but I so often override my instinct with the social pressures and other voices in my head, a thing that makes me nuts.
It's good to have support.
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Oh I know what you mean! I am totally with you. I feel like we spend way too much time playing anxiously or in a heavy handed way with our children. I remember being left alone for hours as a kid to play with my dollhouse, and I'm sure it's why I have such an active imagination now. I think in general most of us are way too kid focused, and we're creating a population of anxious children with inflated egos. Don't know what the answer is, though.
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