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The new Children’s laureate is Lauren Child and for those of you who have children you will know who Charlie and Lola are, Lauren Child is responsible for them. More importantly to me she illustrated Pippi Longstocking whose pages I remember for bringing the greatest laughing fit that me and my daughters have ever had together in one sitting when she recounts the story of the burglars on the roof.

But enough of that, recently Lauren Child has suggested that modern children are under too much pressure and should be taught idleness in school for up to 30 minutes at a time, this has been attacked from several quarters as far as I can see.

She is right though.

Perhaps not exactly correct with the method but definitely right with the concept.

I have watched my eldest progress through the academic system. We’re now in her GCSE year. School for her is basically a full time job at the age of 15.

The system is hard and it’s hard to appreciate that almost anybody else with any level of intelligence at the present time is doing the same thing in the same system. They’re basically ‘full time employees’ from 15 until they retire.

Creativity, ideas and wonderful things never came from ‘nose to the grindstone’. Google reports that their best and most innovative projects have come from ‘20% time’ where the developers are able to work on anything they like which might benefit the business for 20% of their working week.

Part of my role as a Dad, apart from teaching my children how to swear properly (an essential skill in my eyes) is to teach them the benefits of the balance between hard work and idleness. In the same way that reportedly David Beckham uses the ‘time for a sandwich’ quote to his wife when he thinks that she is too thin. For me and my kids it’s important to know when it’s time to sit on the sofa and watch something decent on the TV, play on the Playstation with my son or just to have fun without worrying that there is work not getting done.

Blog post number: 1448