The document discusses the increasing stress levels among children due to factors like preschools offering tutoring to get ahead academically, numerous extracurricular activities, and parental pressure to succeed. Some experts and parents argue that children's development is hindered when they are overscheduled and that free, unstructured play is important for learning and growth. The document also talks about the need to address children's spiritual development and how parents can guide their growth through everyday interactions and opportunities.

1. STRESSED OUT! Lectured by Teresa Mello Vianna, Rachel Farias and Euler França Jr Retreinamento 1º sem 2005

2. STRESSED OUT! By Sue Ferguson Maclean’s - Canada’s weekly magazine November 22, 2004

3. Which factors are contributing to increasing stress levels among kids?

4. Preschools tutoring to get a head start, to reach “school readiness” (mastery of early numeracy and literacy skills). To reassure parents that they are nurturing their kid’s brain .

5. Music lessons, organized sports, Kumon Math, Reading Centers, dance classes, all sorts of after-school activities .

7. Psychiatrist Rosenfeld co-author of the book “The Over-Scheduled Child” affirms: “Parental pressure isn’t necessarily the gateway to genius.”

9. Enough is enough , say some parents called the new refuseniks. They refuse to drill their kids with flashcards, toss early learning workbooks in the trash, and walk by lamppost signs for tutoring without a second glance .

10. Let’s kids be kids again!

11. The Family Virtues Guide January 2005

12. A child is a spiritual being who is brought into the world to grow up body, mind and spirit. Inherently, children are learners.

13. Research shows that their brains begin learning, actually processing information, even before birth. Parents are the first and most important teachers (educators).

14. Yet they receive little or no training in what to do or how to do it. Unfortunately, children don’t come with instruction manuals .

15. There is a growing concern among conscientious parents that our children are caught up in materialism to the detriment of character, that they are picking up values which place personal gain before ethics, integrity, or love .

16. There have been valuable efforts focused on seeing the child as a separate person with unique feelings and ideas .

17. Much has been written about the emotional and psychological health of children and families, covering topics such as honoring a child’s feelings, keeping peace in the family, building self-steem, learning to speak so kids will listen, and learning to listen so kids will talk .

18. What has yet to be addressed in a broad way is how parents can meet the spiritual needs of children.

20. Each day of living with children brings fresh opportunities for guiding them at “teachable moments” which pass quickly and may never come again.

21. Parenting is made up of so many things - physical care, affection, encouragement, enjoyment, correction, protection and teaching.

22. Just as children’s bodies need food, air, light and warmth, their spirits need challenge, direction, and encouragement.

23. The world needs people who are willing to take personal responsibility.

24. Naturally, you can’t help someone else grow without growing yourself.

25. To teach children well is to bring out the best in them. What’s best for them has everything to do with what is best in them. Virtues are gems in the mine of the true self. A parent/a teacher is meant to mine a child’s gems and bring them to light.

26. Each child is born with a special bundle of potential. In that bundle are three things: * Inherited traits * Individual temperament * Innate capacities: gifts, talents, abilities, limitations, and virtues.