What is Hurried Child Syndrome and what to do about it

What is Hurried Child Syndrome ?

" Hurried Child Syndrome," a term coined by psychologist David Elkind , describes a collection of stress-related behaviors that occur when children are expected to perform well beyond their mental, social, or emotional capacity. These days, with so many children in school, some parents end up scheduling too much for their kids, pressuring them to work very hard and expecting them to act more like adults. The pressure on children created by today’s society and a race to do better in life keeps them from engaging in free play, resting, and developing naturally.

According to Dr. Pankaj Borade, a consultant psychiatrist, Ruby Hall Clinic, “These consequences can be major, including physical problems such as headaches and sleeping less, as well as mental difficulties such as anxiety and depression, a shorter attention span, and, worse, thoughts of suicide. Often such children have difficulties keeping their moods under control and connecting with people around them and can get completely exhausted by multiple responsibilities.”

Balance their lives

As a way to overcome this, parents need to care more about their child’s health and happiness than only about their success. It’s important to plan your day so that your child has time to play, rest, and be with the family.

Keep your expectations realistic

It is better for parents to value the effort and advancement their child is making, not just their achievements, and to keep goals realistic.



Create flexible atmosphere

Creating a flexible learning environment that fits your child’s needs is very helpful. It is most important to create an atmosphere where children are cherished for who they are, regardless of what they attain.

Let’s make sure we keep childhood from being defined solely as a competition to see who finishes first. Growth happens best when children are free to play, explore, and enjoy their childhood, not when faced with many expectations.