SO MANY ACTIVITIES FOR THE KIDS
Here in Spain (or, at least, here in Galicia) there always is some kind of activity for the kids. During the scholastic year there are the ludotecas in the evenings. In summer there are the ‘morning activities’ in July and then the summer camps (i.e. mornings and evenings) in August. I recall a comment passed by another volunteer a few months ago:
“Here in Spain the parents would do better to buy a pet rather than have kids. They never have time for their kids: The kids are at school in the morning and then there’re the socio-cultural centres in the afternoons. And in summer they send them to summer camps and activities. It seems to me that they never have enough time to dedicate to their children.”
Well, that’s one way of looking at it. However it is also true that this presence of many activities is very good for the kids. From them they learn more how to behave with other children and learn how to discipline themselves and share. In the end these play areas are a form of non-formal education centres and that’s a very positive thing to have. But everyone’s entitled to their own way of looking at life!
I was chatting to other youth monitors on this subject last week. It seems that the school summer holidays are getting shorter as time passes. While a few years ago school would recommence at the end of September or even in October, nowadays the scholastic year’s starting towards the beginning of September. Naturally nowadays both parents work and they have less time to dedicate to their offspring and the scholastic year is changing to accommodate this. My thoughts went along these lines: What’s wrong with life? Are we forgetting that the most important thing in life is to actually live it and not just one’s career?? And what is the government doing? The government should be sorting out ways and means for the children to have more time to spend with their parents rather than the reverse. Go figure.
One sentence I read many years ago and that I will never forget: “The best thing you can spend on your kids is time.”
“Here in Spain the parents would do better to buy a pet rather than have kids. They never have time for their kids: The kids are at school in the morning and then there’re the socio-cultural centres in the afternoons. And in summer they send them to summer camps and activities. It seems to me that they never have enough time to dedicate to their children.”
Well, that’s one way of looking at it. However it is also true that this presence of many activities is very good for the kids. From them they learn more how to behave with other children and learn how to discipline themselves and share. In the end these play areas are a form of non-formal education centres and that’s a very positive thing to have. But everyone’s entitled to their own way of looking at life!
I was chatting to other youth monitors on this subject last week. It seems that the school summer holidays are getting shorter as time passes. While a few years ago school would recommence at the end of September or even in October, nowadays the scholastic year’s starting towards the beginning of September. Naturally nowadays both parents work and they have less time to dedicate to their offspring and the scholastic year is changing to accommodate this. My thoughts went along these lines: What’s wrong with life? Are we forgetting that the most important thing in life is to actually live it and not just one’s career?? And what is the government doing? The government should be sorting out ways and means for the children to have more time to spend with their parents rather than the reverse. Go figure.
One sentence I read many years ago and that I will never forget: “The best thing you can spend on your kids is time.”
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