Drive through your neighborhood after the school day has ended. What do you see? A dearth of kids! Sure, there are some out horsing around in the fresh air, but not nearly as many as you might expect. Where have they gone? Inside. They are playing video games or surfing the web. In this rush, rush world of give it to me now, it is often hard for kids to appreciate their free time and reflect on the things going on around them.

Childhood should be a time of learning and fun. As parents, how many of us would kill to have our afternoons off? Can you even imagine it? As a youngster, I always looked forward to the day I would not have to do homework. Well, I would gladly take that task on now!

Between video games, the net and other distractions, many kids live life at a break neck pace. Whether they are battling the evil monsters of some game or updating their MySpace page, they never take the time to slow down a bit and reflect on life. When this happens, they often miss out on lessons of daily life they should otherwise be learning.

One way to avoid this problem is to give your kids a journal or diary. Make sure they understand it is for their private thoughts, to wit, you will not read it. Also, try to get them in the habit of writing in it each night before bed or after school.

Journaling is a positive step for kids and adults alike. It forces you to slow down for a minute and reflect on the events of the day or past couple days. It effectively acts as a tool for you to collect your thoughts. With easily distracted kids, this is a beyond value. It also presents them with a private outlet for their problems and concerns. Writing out ones problems often is very helpful when it comes to find solutions and the same goes for your kids.

If you feel like your kids are on the computer or playing video games all the time, get them to start writing out their thoughts. They can always return to their favorite video game later.