Band 6+: 1. Children are facing more pressures nowadays from academic, social and commercial perspectives. What are the causes of these pressures and what measures should be taken to reduce these pressures?

It is commonly said that today’s children are pressurized and are facing harder and harder academic, social and commercial challenges. This essay intends to discuss the causes of these pressures and suggest some measures to alleviate the problem. I believe that children must be shielded from such mounting pressures.

There are many academic pressures on children. Today’s child is not competing with the child next door, or even of one’s town or country. He is competing with the child of the globalvillage. The big planet Earth of yesteryears is a small well-linked global village of today. Parents want their children to excel in every field. They send their children to the best schools, where the school bag is often heavier than the child himself. Even after school hours there are private tuitions. Children don’t have time to bloom and bring out their hidden talents.

There are also many social and commercial pressures. Socially, the children of today are in a huge dilemma’ They want to adopt the global culture, whereas their parents force them to confine themselves to the traditions. This sometimes makes them rebel against the rules laid by their elders. Then, they also face peer pressure, which can be good if their peers are good, and bad if their peers are not disciplined. This peer pressure coupled with the consumerist society of today can lead to a lot of stress and strain on children. They see the latest models of cell phones and other items with their peers and want to buy them. When they are unable to do so, they get stressed.

The solutions are not simple. Children have to be handled with great care. Parents should have realistic expectations from their children. They should have a pro-active approach and give time to their children. The biggest onus is on the schools and teachers. They should strive to bring out the best in every child and competition and co-operation should both be taught simultaneously. The aim of competition should not be to win at all cost. Children have to be taught to win with modesty and lose with grace.

To summarise, there is no doubt that the children of today are facing so many pressures, but steps should be taken on a war footing to protect their innocent childhood. Otherwise, these pressures will stifle the physical and psychological growth of children.