The "Lead Vest" of Always Being "On" · Connected Through Play

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The "Lead Vest" of Always Being "On"

This morning, I was reading an article on CNBC by Harvard psychologist Jennifer Breheny Wallace who highlighted a heavy reality: many of our children are wearing what she calls a "lead vest" of performance pressure.

Through her work with thousands of families, she found that kids increasingly believe their value is tied to their "output", their grades, their sports stats, or their social standing. They feel they only truly "matter" when they are achieving. When every drawing is immediately hung on the fridge or every goal is caught on video for social media, we can accidentally reinforce the idea that the result is what matters most.

Let’s get real here, how many of us feel the same pressure?

The antidote to this pressure is found in moments where there is no "score" to keep. When we play without a goal, we send a powerful, silent message to our kids: "I value you for who you are, not what you can produce."

Today, we are going to intentionally create something that cannot be kept, graded, or "won." We’re going to practice the art of the temporary.

Pop over to Play Ideas & Prompts for the activity.

Here’s the article I was reading.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/26/harvard-psychologist-who-worked-with-1000-kids-why-so-many-children-are-struggling-today.html

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