The story of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie is a classic. A little boy who stays young all his life, flying around Neverland, living (unsupervised) with his friends and spending his days swimming with mermaids and antagonizing pirates is the stuff every kid hopes for. As adults, we know this is just a fairytale and that every little boy and girl will grow up one day. But children can still believe in the impossible - and that’s what makes childhood so magical.

Childhood is a special time. Everything and every day is an opportunity to learn and try something new. They’re just starting out. They’re learning who they are. They’re figuring out what they like and don’t like. Their personalities and quirks begin to develop, and we can start to see a brief glimpse into who they’ll be as adults. It’s a time of discovery and wonder, and blissful naivety. Or, at least, it should be. 

Unfortunately, there seems to be a bigger and bigger push to rush through this already brief period of their lives. 

The way this is done can be both intentional and unintentional.

One of the biggest culprits is technology. Access to high-speed internet and affordable connected devices is becoming more and more prevalent, which certainly has a lot of benefits. Unfortunately, it also means our children spend countless hours of the day plugged into these alternate realities. They no longer have to learn to entertain themselves. They have lost the fundamentals of playtime. Who needs to use your imagination when almost anything you can dream of is on the internet?