Too Many Distractions and Too Much Stimulation

To the previous blog about the sorry state of our education system and the sorrier state of parental involvement I wanted to talk about a couple of generalities. Those are too many distractions and too much stimulation for our kids from birth through high school.

About a week ago I read an article whose writer concluded that too many distractions and too much stimulation are significant contributors to the rise in ADHD. While I have no knowledge in that area I have to agree that makes sense. If you stimulate and distract kids from birth through high school is it any wonder they grow up lacking the ability to focus and concentrate on something for longer than a millisecond? It's called conditioned response and it's a well-known VERY predictable psychological outcome. It makes total sense does it not?

Based on admittedly limited observations I agree with that author's opinion. It not only makes sense but I see ADHD behavior all around. For the past year I've been a math tutor in a local adult GED program. I was amazed how many of the students demonstrated varying degrees of either ADD and ADHD. Every term there was at least one student who was borderline disfunctional. If not for their dedication to complete their GED and a LOT of very patient teaching and copious amounts of likewise patient tutoring they would have failed. To THEIR credit they all succeeded.

So, what kinds of distractions are we talking about? Cell phones, the internet, an environment filled with noise, excessive activities (gotta always be doing something), and/or a disfunctional family life. Oh, and hormones!

And what kinds of stimulation are we talking about? Video games, action movies, various types of stimulating TV programs, incessant texting and talking on cell phones, legal and illegal drugs, and/or caffeine (coffee or soda). Oh, and hormones!

Is it any wonder our kids can't concentrate for long on much of anything, including (or especially!) homework and classroom teaching? By allowing these things to run amok in our kids' lives we set them up not only to fail in school but to enter adult life lacking the ability to make something of themselves and succeed in life.

Just as in the previous blog, the primary people responsible to control these factors are parents. Kids need boundaries and responsibilities from an early age. More so now than ever. Most of them won't like that but that's the way it needs to be. They're too immature to know what's good for them. They don't have to like it and we parents aren't obliged to give them what they want all the time. In fact, it would be irresponsible of us to do that. We're responsible to give them the best start in life of which we're capable, not to make every effort to be their friends or to 'make them' like us.

Good and effective parenting is not a popularity contest. It's more like a seemingly endless series of skirmishes on the battlefield of life.Oh, but it's worth it because there ARE those inevitable and very gratifying moments when you'll be glad you did it reasonably well. They will grow up respecting you and most likely loving you all the more for caring enough to give them what they needed rather than what they wanted. You will make mistakes but they won't matter in the larger scheme of things if you make an honest effort to be responsible in these ways.