There are key societal influence on children that have molded the way we parent today. These influences have had a drastic impact on the way children play today. Play is natural and from the heart, however, the many influences reviewed below will help you understand societal influences effecting play and its effects on development in children.
If you want to gain deeper insight into how you may be impacting your child’s play read on.
Societal Influence on Children & Play
I’ve always thought I was doing a fantastic job with giving my child opportunities to play as I understand its importance. I then watched a webinar by Melissa Bernstein, the co-founder of Melissa and Doug. Her talk led me to really evaluate my parenting. I looked at how my upbringing plays a role in my child’s ability to use imaginative play.
Of course I questioned whether I have offered the freedom necessary for imaginative play to take place. Yes, I tend to be a bit controlling. You’ll learn more about this below. I thought about whether I am hindering or helping my child’s imagination to flourish during play. My mind was blown open because I never once thought that my well intentioned attempts to help my child could instead be thwarting his imagination and joy for play.
The talk revealed five societal influences that started in the 1980s. I hope this information finds you well and you gain insight and knowledge.
How Involved Is Your Parenting?
A problem with play today is how children are developing. When I think of play I think of three words like freedom, uninhibited, and joy. Believe it or not our parenting style determines whether our children experience these three words during play.
Todays parenting has changed drastically over the years. I think about the freedom I had and adventures I embarked on as a child. I still have the scars from my many adventures as a child. My mother was satisfied with a brief check-in and off I went to continue my exploration in the woods or in the neighborhood. I was allowed this time to explore because my parents were considered hands off, not really restricting my opportunities for play or imagination.
How involved is your parenting? Are you an uninvolved parent, helicopter parent, or snow plow parent? Well depending on your answer, although well meaning, you may be having a restrictive influence on your child’s ability to use his or her imaginative play.
Uninvolved Parent
Uninvolved parents may not be in tune with their child’s need for attention and affection. Often children are left to their own devices which allow a child to explore their imagination, however, it could also be considered neglectful in certain situations. Without the appropriate connection to a parent figure in early development children can develop relationship and self esteem issues. Uninvolved parents may be burdened with providing for the family which takes them away from meeting these needs for children.
Helicopter Parent
Helicopter parents are overly involved in their children’s life, making their presence known. Anxiously lingering and being overly attentive to their children is a normal occurrence. This parent may exhibit controlling behavior, and limit their child’s ability to explore their interest and develop who they are in this world independent from their parent’s influences.
Snow Plow Parent
Hyper intensive parenting involves you getting in the way of your child having to experience obstacles. These obstacles are necessary as they develop appropriate coping, conflict resolution skills, and resilience. This is often continued well into adulthood. Parents spend critical childhood years pushing (snow plowing) obstacles out of the way only making way for positive experiences and successes. The child or adult is never allowed to experience pitfalls, failures, and disappointment.
An example would be doing your child’s homework to avoid failing a class and further contacting the teacher/professor to explain away their child’s lack of interest. The child should be equipped to handle these task on their own, however, is never allowed an opportunity to learn or practice this skill. This is a recipe for a very fragile adult.
A priority goal in parenting is protecting children, however, some experiences are necessary in development as it can strengthen important skills such as coping, conflict resolution, emotion regulation, or problem solving.
5 Societal Influence on Children: 80s Origin
Media
Media became aware of child abductions which created an anxiousness/fear in parents who started keeping children home. This began children watching more television and being less active. This was the stage of the couch potato. Outside play not only helped with mental health but also nature provided a wider range for imaginative play. Being stuck in the house limits
Educational Reform Error
An academic comparison was made between international children and children in the states. It was determined children in the states were not doing enough school work. This led to transformative educational reform.
Although this transformation was intended to make education more equal across the board, instead, it did the following:
Teaching to the test which created pressure for teachers and to children
Students taught on things that may or may not be relevant to real life
Competition with peers and internationally
Learning has become less engaging, more about performance, filled with pressure, does not increase the desire for further learning. Learning should be the last thing that brings anxiety and pressure but rather the launch pad to anything in life. Play and imagination, however is not performance driven. When the interest of a child is realized the world becomes their oyster.
‘LEARNING HAPPENS IN THE HEART NOT THE HEAD’
Self Esteem Movement
The self esteem movement refers to valuing personhood more than the outcome. This refers to sheltering kids from criticism. This movement originated from many parents in the 80s generation not having an overly active role in parenting and allowing children to build resilience through good and bad experiences. As a result many of us grew up thinking ‘i will protect my kids from this…”
Mothers Making Children Their Careers
This happens when children end up being the ego and validation to moms who decide to stay home after pursuing a career. Childhood becomes their career and professionalized the passions of children with specific goals. This can easily categorize one as a helicopter mom or snow ploy parent.
Being invested in your child’s success not allowing room for failure as it can be perceived as your own failure. This is not an appropriate approach as it prevents a child from experiencing necessary failures, heartache, and disappointment that can support independent coping, problem solving, and resilience. Preventing our children from experiencing life will eventually come back to harm them as they will not prepared with the right tools.
Play Date
Play dates originated in the 80s when more mothers returned to work. Unfortunately, there was a fear due to an increased media presence around kidnapping at the time. As a result there was no time for play to happen naturally.
Scheduled play meant children lost the ability to choose friends. This time period led to the overall rise in scheduled activities. It was a way for parents with busy work schedules to fit in activities for children. These activities became something that could go on a resume instead of for the pure joy of playing.
The idea is free time is frivolous and does not result in anything that could support future success of the child. We think about a checklist in childhood and exploring how a child stands out. If not aware we can professionalize a child’s passion. Ex. scheduling professional singing lessons for your child after hearing them singing their favorite Disney song.
The conclusion of these attempts from parents to offer play opportunities for children can lead to more rote, confined and defined activities. Professionalizing play can take away the pure joy of the activity.
Technology Societal Influence on Children
Four years ago The American Academy of Pediatrics rewrote the media guidelines for children between the age of 16 months and 6 years old. The new guideline specifies 1 hour of screen time with adult facilitation. What is happening is children being hyper stimulated by technology. Anymore than 1 hour of screen time can lead to addiction.
Technology can artificially increase dopamine levels. Dopamine is released anytime we are doing something we love. We start at a base level, dopamine increase during enjoyable activity, and we return to our base level following this surge. When addicted to technology our increased dopamine level becomes our base level. If dopamine lowers because technology is removed you may begin to see a behavioral response.
At the current moment we are becoming numb to technology. The use of excessive technology can result in issues building connections with others. Empathy arises from letting kids work out differences during play which often includes hitting and name calling. Although monitored children are able to work on resolution with others. Technology impacts empathy.
Best Tips to Fixing Societal Influence On Children
Allow imaginations to develop so the child can develop who they are and aren’t
Allow children freedom to explore their imagination without adult interference
Be open to support and believing in play
Build meaningful connections with others
Let play be fun and for pure joy
Follow your child’s lead
The Last Thing You Need To Know
Creative expression during play gives insight into a child’s world. Societal influence on children can effect parenting and childhood. However, in order for children to meet their full potential we must keep the influences in check and set boundaries for ourselves. Play that comes from the heart can mature into a lifelong passion. Our job as parents is to tend to our parenting goals and health so that we don’t burden our children with our ‘stuff’. Our health is directly linked with the success of our children.
