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[...] Play time is in short supply for children these days and the lifelong consequences for developing children can be more serious than many people realize.
An article in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Play details not only how much children's play time has declined, but how this lack of play affects emotional development, leading to the rise of anxiety, depression, and problems of attention and self control.
[...] Gray describes this kind of unstructured, freely-chosen play as a testing ground for life. It provides critical life experiences without which young children cannot develop into confident and competent adults. Gray's article is meant to serve as a wake-up call regarding the effects of lost play, and he believes that lack of childhood free play time is a huge loss that must be addressed for the sake of our children and society.
Parents who hover over and intrude on their children's play are a big part of the problem, according to Gray. "It is hard to find groups of children outdoors at all, and, if you do find them, they are likely to be wearing uniforms and following the directions of coaches while their parents dutifully watch and cheer." He cites a study which assessed the way 6- to 8-year-olds spent their time in 1981 and again in 1997.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Sunday May 13 2018, @03:44PM
The difference here between "I'm investigating random citizens" and what you're experiencing is that in these cases the authorities have cause to believe you are committing a crime. A stupid reason, namely reports from stupid people, but a reason nonetheless.
Think about the flip side here: CPS receives 6 reports about a household, but didn't investigate any of them and/or is stonewalled by the parents, and it turns out that these kids are abused, hungry, and getting shocked regularly with loose electrical wiring. That's a problem too. And the key point is that CPS has no idea which of those two situations (an unjustly accused set of parents, or a serious problem) they're looking at until they investigate.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.