What is an “ordinary kid?” I’ve been kicking that question around as I build this blog.

After all, an ordinary kid in rural Oklahoma isn’t going to be the same as an ordinary kid in lower Manhattan. I ran headfirst into that reality many years ago, when I transitioned from my small-town childhood to a prestigious private college filled with privileged East Coast kids.

I struggle with it today, too, as a mom. From technological changes to the global challenges, our kids inhabit a very different environment, even if they’re playing in the same streets and attending the same schools that we once did.  Sometimes I wonder how much childhood itself has changed in the past 20 years.

However, when I talk about ordinary kids, I imagine these defining characteristics:

• ordinary kids are given freedom to play and explore on their own
• they can deal with boredom
• they are nurtured as children, not managed like mini-employees
• they are valued as individuals, not investments
• they are not always building their “resumes”
• they are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them
• they have ample free time for friends
• their out-of-school activities are mostly determined by their own interests
• they get to choose whether to do something for fun or for competition
• they do not feel like an absolute failure if they are not the “best”

Do you agree with my list? What would you add?