Conflict, Distress, Boredom, and Other Good Things We Shouldn't Be Afraid Of for Our Children

Picking up on yesterday's post, I enjoyed this recent article in the New York Times on the inherent messiness of childhood and how we need to let that messiness be sometimes.  My favorite excerpt:

Because we live in a time when some anxious parents believe that the path to adult success must be unmarred by conflict, distress or boredom. These parents can press schools — especially expensive schools or schools competing for students — to partner with them in pursuit of this fantasy. In doing so, both parties set up a disingenuous conversation about what is actually involved in normal development.

Amen.  Always having to have something interesting to do, stopping once things get hard, having unresolved issues get resolved by someone else - these are common occurrences in the modern child's life, and they are stunting her ability to really grow up.  For all the resources that are available to the relatively well-off child, let us not keep them away from such affordable lessons as learning how to deal with being bored, not getting what they want, and facing a challenge that is too hard for them.