Children in relentlessly demanding sporting
programs can fall into ‘survival mode’: “I have a lot of work to do and getting
it done is my priority”. Developing a
strong work ethic is vital but it shouldn’t require an expert to recognise the
problem a survival mentality creates.
Childhood is first and foremost about learning. Joy and adventure depend on an individual making
and owning their choices in an environment with suitable variation. In my experience, survival behaviour almost
always occurs in environments in which the child is given little control but is
instead instructed on what to do more-or-less all the time. The obvious question to ask about such
circumstances is: what is the agency for change? Repetition begets capacity for work but it isn’t
of itself a stimulus for improvement.
Where children are concerned change requires children to discover for themselves
what they’re capable of.
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