1/4 of all Berlin kids in therapy

I went to German class today and our teacher was telling us that a quarter of children in Berlin are in therapy. And the reason? Too many computer games and tv.

I was kind of surprised by this. Whenever I walk around Berlin I'm always struck by how well balanced the kids seem. For the most part they come across as happy, intelligent and bright. I started wondering if the kids in therapy are either really screwed up or if the state is just stepping in 'to be on the safe side'.

If kids in England are anything to go by then maybe the Germans are on the right track. Walk around any town centre in England and you'd be well advised to steer clear of any groups of children - even really young ones - and if you walk past them then be prepared for a bucket load of swear words and a few bits and bobs thrown at you... Well I'm generalizing slightly here - but not much. I once got shot by a tiny six year old as I walked to uni in Manchester. I wasn't sure what had happened but it felt like someone had punched me in the neck. I turned around to see this tiny kid with a rubber pellet gun smiling with delight as I winced in pain.

Actually one place I've lived where teenagers are a dream is Dubai. I guess kids traditionally have a lot more respect for parents etc out there. Groups of teenagers would hang out in the shopping area close to my home playing the guitar, rollerblading or even walking around with pet snakes. They always seemed really contented and would smile at you if you caught their eye - and certainly never shout at passers by.

My teacher said she thought the reason why German kids needed therapy was because they didn't get enough playtime at a young age. Kids in Germany start school at age 6 and go home at lunch time. (Kids in England start school at 4 and stay until 3 or 4pm). She said that there are new rules in place to make it a legal requirement for kids to go to nursery school to learn basic language skills before they start school - hence the lack of playtime.

My teacher is of African descent and only moved to Germany when she was 13 (I'll share some of her interesting stories in a later post) so she knows a bit about cultural differences between kids in Germany and her home country. Back in Africa kids can simply go outside to play, she said, whereas they can't do that in Germany without an organized playgroup and supervision.

I was kind of surprised by her views on this matter as I'd always thought Berlin was such a great place for kids - sooo many parks, ping pong tables and basketball courts scattered around all over the place... I guess compared to the UK, Germany seems really child friendly but compared to Africa it doesn't come close... All down to perspective I guess.