Hyperactive Parents
Are you asking too much of your children? In his book Hyper-parenting, Are You Hurting Your Child By Trying Too Hard?, Dr Rosenfeld points out the dangers of pressurising children into an unremitting round of after-school clubs, swimming sessions, sports training, extra tuition, music lessons and other organised activities.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with encouraging your children to have a wide range of interests. The danger is that if they are kept too busy, they'll be left with precious little 'unstructured' time when they can simply be on their own with nothing in particular to do. Educationalists at the University of East Anglia call this 'boredom time' - and argue that it is of enormous educational value. It's the one chance children have to reflect on the day's events, build castles in the air, daydream and make tentative plans for what they want to do with their lives - activities which are crucially important to their emotional and intellectual development.

So don't be a hyperactive parent. It's reassuring to think that one of the best things you can do for your children is tell them to put their feet up and veg out - especially if it means that you can do the same!

Broadening horizons
Childhood is a time for practising new skills and enjoying new experiences, so encourage your children to undertake as wide a range of activities as they can manage. It's a great way to broaden their horizons and help them choose their future path in the world. Children should try their hand at being authors, painters, explorers, scientists, chefs, sports people, naturalists, campaigners, charity workers, musicians, actors, inventors, entrepreneurs or anything else that takes their fancy.

As Oscar Wilde shrewdly said: "If something's worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

The most important thing about trying out new activities is that the children enjoy themselves, not set out to prove how good they are - so make sure they understand that. That isn't to say that you shouldn't be on the lookout for any indications that a child has a particular talent or enthusiasm which you can help to develop.

There are lots of ways to encourage special interests. But remember that conscientious parents, for the very best motives, can cause themselves and their children unnecessary stress by simply trying too hard. Don't be a hyperactive parent - unstructured time is just as important.