Stressing the point about Stress

I read this book a few months back and I'm still not decided on whether I 'loved' this book or not. I did like the book. It provided a lot of information I wasn't aware of, but I'm not sure I really liked the set-up of the book or some of the content. The main focus of this book is basically what hidden aspects of growing up stress a child out, and how that stress affects a childs development. He touches on some of the basic aspects like divorce, and death, but most of the book focus's on things that force a child to grow up too quickly. The main conclusion of every single argument in the book is anything that forces a child to grow up too quickly or puts pressure on a child beyond their natural capabilites is stressful for a child.

The first half of the book is kind of a summary of the second half of the book, which almost makes the first half pointless. The whole time I was reading it I was getting a lot of interesting information/opinions with very little proof of the points he was making. But the authors points and the information he was providing was interesting. The best chapter of the first half of the book is the chapter on Lapware (computerized learning devices). He provided great arguments, and very valid proof to back up his claims. His information would be great to base future lapware studies on. I don't want to blow this chapter for you, but his basic point is that lapware doesn't teach a child anything that he/she doesn't already know.

The second half of this book is extremely well organized, and perfect for parents, or anyone with basic knowledge of child-development. I study child development and I don't know that I've read a better book or text-book that puts Piagets development periods or Erikksons theories into better context than this book does. The way he was able to use those theories in connection with his own research, and other research was excellent. It almost makes me wish this book had a broader range of topic. I could apply the information in this book to pretty much every child I know. If you have a child that shows any self-confidence problems this book will be very helpful to you. There's nothing mentioned in the title or the description about self-confidence, but after reading the book it's easy to see how the demands put on your child affect their confidence.

There is a lot of basic information on various topics from the basic biological reactions of stress, to how schools operate. He makes very compelling arguments against the idea of "early is better" in education. He also provides good evidence in favor of keeping the arts in schools by showing that activities like gym, music, and art help children relieve stress which helps them focus more on academics (in addition to their artistic values).

At times I found some of the information in the book repetitive. He touches on certain subjects like divorce, drugs, and education numerous times. It's all good information, but I would have liked to have read more on media effects and social aspects with other peers than was offered.

Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it provides a good balance between statistical data based research without being so dense it's not readable by an average parent. The writing style is very basic, and his research is based on stats just as much as his own experiences as a therapist. So he backs up any technical data with a personal example to explain it and back it up. It's somewhat of a perfect book for parents looking to understand more about their children, and people looking for an easy book to read with solid research.

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Keen Insite

Elkind shows a keen insite into the brain of youth. A must read for parents concerned about the progress of their child.

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The Hurried Child by Elkind

The author cautions against rushing life for young people
and placing too many artificial pressures on them. These
pressures come in the form of standardized tests, overscheduling
and excessive concentration on child competence issues instead
of allowing young people to mature. Children are in essence
miniature adults. In addition, the author cautions against
assembly-line learning. Type A competitive children grow into
adults with more cholesterol in the blood than normal.
On international comparison tests, American students tend to
achieve lower scores despite all the pressure to do well.
Only 1/5 of 17 year olds can write a persuasive essay.
Clearly, the author has some important points to make.
The readers should heed this advice and apply it accordingly.
There is a need for balance in life. In this respect, the author
has some important points to teach college administrators and
parents. A wide constituency of educators needs to read this
book dispassionately and apply it for the benefit of students.

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