Child Development Essay -- Health, Childhood Obesity

There are multiple factors in a child’s development. Parents have a responsibility, as well as a privilege, to contribute to every milestone. Most parents stress over physical and mental stages so much so that play-time is ignored. By making decisions that sacrifice play parents hinder their social development. Parents must take action and encourage their youth to play more, before childhood is lost forever. Play-time is an essential part of early childhood development as well as their most primitive form of expression. In an article titled â€Å"The Importance of Play† by Bruno Bettelheim, he refers to Sigmund Freud’s thoughts that play is a child’s first step in attaining â€Å"cultural and psychological achievements†. (Bettelheim 324) The author also mentions Freud’s notation of how children use play to â€Å"express† themselves. (Bettelheim 324) Play is vital for the maturation of toddlers’ emotional and mental health. Bettelheim, in his article, reflects on Fraud’s understanding of â€Å"how children use play to work through and master quite complex psychological difficulties of the past and present†. (Bettelheim 324) As a mother, I agree with this insight because I can witness the day’s events unfold through my son’s eyes as he holds batman and robin figures. Today’s culture views the media as a necessity. One class of media entertainment is television. Television is often exchanged for play among children. Marie Winn wrote â€Å"The End of Play† commenting on how children have replaced â€Å"fantasy and make-believe games† for television. (Winn 76) A research study in USA Today showed results of a survey indicating â€Å"14% of parents said TV is always on.†(Par 4) Their findings point out â€Å"TV decreased play’s intensity to given toy†. (Par 3... ...thout recess, children are denied elements for social development. Physical education classes, or P.E., are the higher grades’ version of recess. At this level, juveniles engage in a more structured program with specific objectives. In Education Digest, Ann Rosewater from Team Up for Youth reflects on how organized sports are a bridge to adult achievements. Her report on the impact of organized sports exclaims â€Å"participation in physical activities have long term positive effects†. (Par 7) Details assert juveniles â€Å"connect with positive peer groups and provide the experience of failing yet trying again†. (Par 8, 9) As parents we want our children to experience the joys of childhood. One’s child rearing choices are the most dominate factors in adolescents. Parents must control the outside influences interfering with their emotional and physical maturity.