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36 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com MAY JUNE 2016 THE PRESSURES ON OUR KIDS ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS Is it a Race to Nowhere By AliciaWanek goodBALANCE Recently I had the opportunity to see a screening of the 2010 documentary Race to Nowhere at Planos Shepton High School and it has dramatically altered the way I look at the demands on my four children. The film is an honest and in-depth look at our societys pressure on our children to achieveand the consequences it is having on their emotional and physical health. Its what we all wantfor our children to be successful adults. We want them to have every opportunity to be all they can be so we encourage them to do their best at school and to participate in sports extracurriculars religious groups and community organizations. The demands on our children are greater than ever. We often think that the better they do the more choices they will have. But at what cost The film suggests that as parents we are encouraging all of this in order to secure our childrens happiness but we may be making them miserable along the way. Dr. Sandy Gluckman a local behavior and health coach says The stress and pressure placed on our kids today is bigger than ever before and will only get more challenging. Dr. Dean Beckloff of the Beckloff Pediatric Behavioral Center agrees. Hes seen big changes in his 25 years working with teens. The pressures are not the same he says and Im convinced our culture has not done a good job at growing our kids. Our teens and pre-teens are handling an amazing amount of stress and parents generally agree that often the culprit is the amount of homework. By the time teens get home from school go to their after-school activities eat dinner and shower theyre not getting to their homework until the time they should probably be getting to bed. In the film Wendy Mogel PhD says teens need 9 to 11 hours of sleep but are getting far fewer. Kids are overscheduled and tired and they are experiencing physical ramifications of the lack of sleep from headaches and stomachaches to joint pain. It becomes a vicious cycle because they are too tired to pay attention and be productive at school which leads to more homework. Dr. Beckloff says the rhythms of sleep are incredibly powerful in helping to manage stress but sleep cant help if teens are not getting it. More concerning in many respects is the emotional ramifications of this stress. Dr. Kenneth Ginsburgh a doctor of adolescent medicine says The driving force for negative behaviors is stress. Today there has been an increase in suicide for the first time in decades and more and more teens are cutting themselves. Frequently these are not the troublemakers but the teens with the 4.0 GPA and the mature social skills. They are overwhelmed by all the demands and react in dramatic ways. Dr. Beckloff reminds us that the teen brain is still in development. The frontal lobe is not finished maturing in an 18-year old and into our mid 20s our brain is still growing to be able to take on stress. We sometimes forget they arent truly young adults. Is there too much homework The film has an obvious bent toward the affirmative. One therapist suggests weve stolen kids 11th and 12th grade years with all of the academic pressures especially from AP courses and college preparation. Repeatedly teens reported they didnt have enough time to sleep or spend time with friends because of the amount Continued on page 74 IS YOUR CHILD ABLE TO HANDLE IT ALLVisit goodlifefamilymag.com for the link to the online Time ManagementActivity to help gauge your childs time.