Life in the modern world is complex. With that complexity comes a host of stresses that drive the typical adult mad, and children too are now faced with adult worries and concerns at a very young age. The information overload of the present world has been hard for people at all stages of life to cope with.
This counter extension is made of plastic laminate-covered 3/4-inch plywood with 1-1/4-inch edging. The 30- by 36-inch leaf swings up on a piano hinge, then is supported by a swing-out wooden brace. The L-shaped brace, 24 inches wide and high, is secured to the side of the cabinet with another piano hinge. A short 1-by-2 on the counter's underside acts as a stop.Sometimes the fastest route to simplifying your child's life is to simply step back a little and stop micromanaging them the way you do the rest of your life. Allow them to get to know the world on their own so they can develop their own ideas and make their own mistakes. Of course, some guidelines must be given, and every parent has certain lessons they want to pass on, but it is important to let your child grow along those guidelines in their own unique way.One of the great things about being a child is having blinders on and having a warped sense of time because there is nothing pressing to tend to. It allows them to focus on the overwhelming task of taking in the world, experimenting with it, and making their decisions about what is going on.As part of the utility room remodel by Myrwang Associates, Architects, Seattle, an electrical outlet for an iron was wired into the cabinet during construction. A full-size ironing board stores in the adjacent tall cabinet (at left in top photograph), along with storage bins.While this is a drastic example, and I certainly don't recommend hitchhiking with children if at all (things were a bit different those days), it still makes a good point about the world you want to create for your kids. As they grow, the more of reality you will reveal to them, and you do want them to understand the world on the world's terms, but they needn't learn it all at once.The laminate top provides a slick surface for scissors to slide along. Tailor's chalk wipes off easily, and stray threads, fabric scraps, and pins sweep quickly into the waste bin.It's easy, however, to just go on spoiling our children and just taking everything into our own hands. In most cases, it's more of a case of us not wanting to deal with the trouble of teaching them when we are in a hurry and know how to get it done the best and fastest way on our own. This whole idea starts when our children are young, and we just develop a habit of doing it all ourselves until one day they are leaving the household unprepared.Another important concept for simplifying your child's life is to not worry them with every adult problem. They will have plenty of time to take on life's realities when they get older.Chores are just as important as ever and too many of today's parents are hurting their kids by letting them off "easy." We may not be as taxed by nature these days, but we are taxed with time and the stresses of modern man, many of which are killing us all slowly. A little less stress is what we all could use, and more of our nation's children could really use more basic life skills when they step out onto their own.Don't take that privilege away from them.
Don't take that privilege away from them.
Author: James Druman
No comments:
Post a Comment