It's been 15 years since the Soviet Union fell and the Cold War ended but an arms race continues.

Not with Iran or North Korea or any other foreign country. This escalation is happening within our own homes, among our children.

Parents just can't seem to stand to see the neighbors' kids participating in an activity without making sure their own kids are doing the same, or something similar.

Soccer, ballet, music lessons, gymnastics. There are a million different options for these parents and their kids. None of them are bad in themselves, but some parents seem to be getting carried away. They enroll their kids in three or four activities at a time.

During the school year they may ease up to one or two after-school activities, but they try to get their kids in the advanced or accelerated learning classes. Kids who get in are weighed down by bloated backpacks and the stress of all the homework filling them.

That much was true when I was in elementary school. I remember seeing the APAAS (Alternative Program for Academically Accelerated Students) kids struggling to carry their heavy bags and have a social life.

Being kind of a nerd myself, I sympathized and was grateful my parents didn't put me in APAAS.

Later on, when I was in middle school, my parents put me in the GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program for one class. I went on to take a number of Advanced Placement classes in high school and I got into my first choice for college -- Brigham Young University.

I'm glad I pushed myself academically in high school and a little bit in middle school, but I'm equally glad my parents allowed me to have a childhood during elementary school.

Granted, those APAAS kids and their parents probably had higher aspirations for college than BYU, and many of them achieved those goals.

Maybe some of them will go on to be world-renowned doctors, scientists, authors or artists. I would argue, however, that they could do those things without having gone to "the best school." Not everyone can go to Harvard, after all.

The sad part is, no matter what those APAAS kids achieve as adults, some of them may suffer their whole lives with social anxiety or more serious psychological or emotional problems as a result of not having a real childhood. Kids need playtime to develop physically, psychologically and socially.

The Daily Herald recently reported that The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids need more time for spontaneous play. They argue that such playtime is an essential part of childhood that helps kids develop properly into adulthood.

There are broad social trends that explain why kids aren't getting enough free play. Since most households rely on two incomes now, mothers aren't home as much to form real communities in their neighborhoods the way they used to. They don't feel comfortable letting their kids go play with the neighbor kids anymore.

This is not the fault of any individual family or community, but as a result, kids are stuck in the house more than they used to be and parents look for productive ways to keep them busy. These parents are certainly well-intentioned and responsible, but perhaps they need to change the way they think about keeping their kids busy.

Instead of enrolling them in soccer leagues and music lessons, maybe parents could organize a play group and just let their kids decide what to do (within reason and with supervision, of course).

Maybe they could take some extra time to spend with their kids just playing and talking, without worrying about getting something done.

It may take more time and effort than driving kids to all their various activities, but the benefits would be worth it. Maybe after a while, the arms race would fizzle and our kids would learn cooperation over competition.

Ben Carter is a senior majoring in print journalism at BYU and an intern at the Daily Herald.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A6.