‘ Chasing Childhood’
NEW FILM HOPES TO SPARK CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MORTGAGING CHILDHOOD
Only a generation or two ago, so- called latchkey children walked home from school, fixed their own snacks and had time to play outdoors for hours until parents called them in for dinner. This was the norm in the ’ 70s and ’ 80s but many of these kids grew up and are parenting their children completely differently. Even with the reality of low crime rates, the perception is that the world is more dangerous today and that children need to be protected more and given less autonomy. In the desire to assure them a successful life, children are often pressured to do more, get the best grades possible and their overstructured lives are filled with a bevy of extracurricular activities, replacing free play. Consequently, children and teens
are experiencing record highs of anxiety and depression.
“Chasing Childhood” is a new feature documentary exploring the unintended consequences of overparenting that will be released by Abramorama via a virtual live world premiere event screening June 24 followed by a nationwide watch- at- home release June 25.
The film follows several communities, including Wilton, where parents and community leaders are working to make a culture shift towards a “free play” movement and seeks to build necessary life skills in children and decrease the stresses from being overscheduled.
The Eason family in Wilton was one of the families featured. One of their children, Savannah, epitomized what many students today experience. She was a star student and had a busy after- school life from dancing to choir but the pressure to excel became too much and led to treatment for anxiety and depression during high school.
Co- directors Margaret Munzer Loeb and Eden Wurmfeld say this project started out as a highly personal realization of the pressures their own young children were under. They soon saw the universality of this issue where children are frequently overscheduled, overburdened and overprotected yet still unprepared for life’s challenges as adults.
“We view this as just a thought- provoking way to get a conversation started,” Munzer Loeb said, adding that she hopes community leaders can get together and share ideas for what will work in their towns “to take back childhood and have healthier, more competent young adults in their communities.”
Genevieve Eason, who now works on behalf of the free play movement and is executive director of the Wilton Youth Council, said that participating in this film was important to her and her family for a couple of reasons. “Our story is a cautionary tale and hopefully if people understand the unintended consequences of the way we raise kids today, we can start to shift the culture to something that is healthier for children and families,” she said. “Also, there are a lot of families living through a similar situation to what we experienced when Savannah was younger. We want them to know that they are not alone.”
In making this film, the directors had more footage and interviews than they could possibly use. As a result, they felt like they only scratched the surface of some themes such as the overspecialization of youth sports, technology and sleep issues but hope to explore more of these ideas in future conversations.
“This idea that kids should find their passion at a young age, kind of get on a train and do it all the time and all the things that that meant, the injuries that came with it that pediatricians don’t usually see in such young children from repetitive use … the money that it costs, people mortgaging their home to lead this life ... there’s a lot more there that I could go into,” Munzer Loeb said.
Asked if there was a particular snippet in the film that really explicated the film’s main ideas, Wurmfeld said there are several but notes a favorite is when Peter Gray, a professor of psychology, is talking over a scene. “We see animals playing and then we cut into the humans on the ground playing and then it segues into organized sports,” she said. “I feel like that just says so much about where we are.”
There is a line in the film that one person interviewed says that still gives the directors chills every time they hear it — “When you mortgage your kid’s childhood, it is a debt that can never be repaid.”
For information on how to watch at home or host a community screening, visit chasingchildhooddoc. com.
“WHEN YOU MORTGAGE YOUR KID’S CHILDHOOD, IT IS A DEBT THAT CAN NEVER BE REPAID.”