Reading 9

Life for Cathy Taylor’s three children is very busy. Their school days arebusy enough. After school, though, Cathy takes the two boys from football to basketball. Then she has to take her daughter to piano lessons. The tired children don’t get home until 7 pm. They have a quick supper, and it’s time for homework.
The Taylors are like many American and British parents. Parents take their children from activity to activity, and try to fit as much as possible into their kids’ lives. Doctors say many children are under too much pressure. Teachers complain about teaching tired kids in the classroom.
Most children take part in after-school clubs. Activities include sports, language learning, music, and math classes. Pushy parents are nothing new, but now parents seem to push their children a lot more. Parents see other children doing a lot of things and they feel their own children should do the same.
Linda Miller, a mother of three in London, knows all about such pressure. “In some families, competition starts from a very young age,” she says. “Mothers send their kids to all kinds of activities. It’s crazy. People shouldn’t push their kids so hard.”
Dr Alice Green agrees. She also says that these children may find it hard to think for themselves when they are older. “Parents are trying to plan their kids’ lives for them. When these kids are adults, they might find it difficult to plan things for themselves.”