Parental pressure cooking our kids
TOO much homework and a culture of criticism and judgment between parents is fuelling anxiety among children, Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner warns.
Anne Hollonds — who takes up the position today — says children need more time to relax and play.
Parents needed a wake-up call to stop competing and instead focus on being more compassionate.
Ms Hollonds said a rethink was needed on how much pressure was being put on children.
She said teachers and parents might need to “reset expectations” on heavy homework loads, which could take three hours each night.
“In our very crammed lives, and with a crammed curriculum, we have to ask if there’s enough time for kids to play,” Ms Hollonds said.
“We tend to load up their days, and expect schools to cram a lot into those days.
“Play is very important for the development and wellbeing of children.
“Many people today would say kids are experiencing stress as a result of too much to do.”
Victoria’s education department states that as a guide students in Years 10-12 should expect one to three hours of homework each weeknight.
This increases to up to six hours on weekends.
Ms Hollonds — a psychol
ogist and former head of Relationships Australia, The Benevolent Society and the Australian Institute of Family Studies — urged an end to “competitive parenting”.
“The culture of criticism and judgment and competition doesn’t help any of us and ultimately is bad for our kids,” she said. “Parents are all trying to do the best they can.”
Parents should also switch off their phones and devices and “eyeball” their children, who craved attention.
“Have some time for everybody to eyeball each other and have a conversation,” Ms Hollonds said.
She said new schools should include child health services, to ensure struggling families received the help they need.
“We need to be ensure we are picking up early signs of domestic violence and mental health issues,’’ she said.
“We’re a rich country and we can do better for our kids.’’