Give The Kids A Break Analysis

The general argument made by Rushin in his work Give the Kids a Break is that kids need to have adequate recess time to provide them with the break and physical exercise they need. Additionally, he argues that the cut back on recess time and the general “wussification” of our over concerned society is a disservice to our children and our future. His claim that recess is important to a child’s development is strong because he suggests the many benefits and supports them with statistics, examples, and appeals to the audience of active adults who understand the benefits of recess and exercise. Recess is an important topic for kids now more than ever because there are so many more children who struggle with obesity, stress, and other problems that weren’t even invented until very recently. I think this article points out a potentially crucial issue in our society and defends his argument well. Recess is really important and kids need to be allowed to interact freely with each other in their younger years in order to understand how social interactions work for when they
She identifies that the society she, and all the other mothers, are raising their children in is a “toxic cultural environment” (126), “where they’re surrounded by unhealthy images about sex and relationships” (126). While she thinks her daughter should stray away from the stereotypes of women, she believes rebellious behavior has been equated to casual and impetuous sex. She goes on to support her claim by giving examples of how schools are targeted and affected negatively by ads. While smoking and drinking were mentioned as typical rebellious behavior as well, it seemed like her biggest concern was objectification, sexualization of teenagers, and body image, because when she compared physically toxic air to unhealthy images of sexuality a sense of motherly concern comes