Peter has music enrichment on Mondays, playgroup on Tuesdays, and karate on Thursdays. Plus tennis on Wednesdays and Fridays. And school 5 days a week until 12:30. Peter is 5.

Peter's parents want the best for Peter. Their hope is that these activities will stimulate his brain, teach him discipline, help develop his body's strength/coordination, and improve his social skills. All of which will enhance his chances of getting into the best schools, finding the best career, and ultimately living a happy life. Isn't this what the media and the marketing pitches promise?

Sometimes they worry that they have overscheduled Peter. They notice he often wants to just veg--sit in his room and daydream or wander around the backyard. Peter's parents have been noticing that they, too, are feeling overwhelmed by it all-- pushing to get Peter focused and to the next activity on time, resenting their own over-scheduled lives, feeling like they live in the car and aren't having enough laid back, quality time as a family.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has some compelling news for parents who long to give their child more free time. According to their October 2006 report, The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds, free play and unscheduled time is essential to the lives of children and adolescents. "It contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children."

Wow! A gold-gilded permission slip, from the leading organization for pediatricians, telling parents it's not only ok to cut back on some of those well-intentioned activities and to amp up the amount of down time, free play time your children and teens have--it's essential!