“Many of the affluent kids I see in my practice have made it clear that they much prefer organized sports activities to spontaneous play. When asked if they ever go down to the schoolyard for a pick-up game, they look sincerely puzzled, and ask, ‘Who would referee?’ The very notion that that twelve- and thirteen year olds could rely on themselves to organize and set standards for a simple ball game is foreign to many upper middle class kids who have had adults directing their activities for as long as they can remember.”
– Quoted from psychologist Madeline Levine’s book, The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids.
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