Let Kids Be Kids (& a Talk at The Real School)

Time to interject some (more) non-musical stuff here… As a relatively-recent dad, I’m utterly terrified to talk to friends with high-school-aged (and even middle-school-aged) kids these days. Maybe it’s an incorrect perception, but it sure sounds like the lives kid lead are ridiculously, insanely complicated and busy. How can it be fun, to be continually bouncing from one extra-curricular deal to another with no break except to eat & do homework? Whatever happened to the days when you’d get out of school, get home, maybe do some chores, and then run outside with your friends ’til the sun went down? I know that’s what I did, most days, and that’s how I remember my childhood, as a happy, relatively carefree time (interspersed with occasional trips to the emergency room, of course; thank God I’ve got a girl & not a boy…).

Anyway, the reason for my rambling is an event this weekend at The Real School, this sorta free-form community school that’s also known as “Dragon Valley” for reasons that aren’t totally clear to me. Author Chris Mercogliano will be speaking on Saturday, October 20th at 2PM at the School (5020 Dickson, near Shepherd & Memorial) about his book In Defense of Childhood, which sounds like it pretty much encapsulates the horror I feel when people tell me about their kids’ crazy-busy little lives. More details on the event here, if you’re interested.