My son is having his summer holidays and is really enjoying the break in routine. He gets up at any time he wants to, sleeps as late as his eyes can remain open, somedays he skips bath! Sometimes he does get bored, he misses his friends! That is when he wants to go to school and cannot understand why the holidays have stretched over so many days.
Nowadays, especially for small children, the meaning of holidays has changed. It now represents a time for the young children to learn something new, join summer camps, some sports activities. Or revising what has been learnt in the academic year, like a refresher course. It represents a lot of headache for the mothers, when children are at home (hmmm, I DO understand how acute it can be); so mothers try to find various options to shoo the kids out of home.
I feel that these connotations have changed largely due to 2 things. One is the social breakdown of the joint family system and the single child syndrome. The obvious difference is that now there are lesser children per se to play with. But more importantly, the inherent tolerance our parents had for varied cousins, adjustments to their home/space/food habits, respect for others etc, is now rare. They could not only interact, but also enjoy in any circumstance. Whereas, we are intolerant of many things and so restrict our child to only few companions, spaces and activities.
In the hols, if these companions are not there, the child is left with no company.....cousins are also few and far between. The shrinking global world has ensured that to hope cousins would be in the same city is heaven; to be in the same country also, is not so practical! Here come the summer camps to provide some human relief in the virtual play world of today's child.
The other thing is that though we all like to pose as being carefree about grades, to keep with the trend of TZP, 3 Idiots and the current education minister's thoughts. But we are just that......posers! Mothers especially, do not want to let go of the opportunity to either ensure the child studies (what has been taught and what WILL be taught), or broadens his/her horizons by developing some hobby. This may not be what the child is interested in; it is what is available, economical and what is 'in'!
The holidays therefore, are not so carefree, boundary less, bonding time with family. These are more about structured activities, interacting under set rules and timings, learning useful things. Sounds more like an extension of school? No harm in doing so.
Yet, we forget that small children are like sponges. They absorb from everywhere, even their normal playtime is constructive. Young children playing on their own can create an entire animated world, through role play. Structuring their imagination at an early age could mean limiting the future creativity they could possess.
Ciao
