This past May, the author was more dismayed than surprised to read the "New York Times" article about the scores of parents who are enrolling their three- to five-year-olds in Junior Kumon enrichment programs. As some parents interviewed for the article expressed, their motivation in doing so was either to keep their children from falling "behind the curve" or, even better, to provide them with a "leg up on the competition." One legitimate question to be asked is whether such programs can realistically meet either challenge. While the impulse among many of today's parents to offer their children every possible advantage is understandable in these uncertain economic times, the rush toward this drilling of academic skills at these young ages seems to be more about meeting adults' needs than those of children. In other words, the over-emphasis among parents and many schools on acceleration of academic teaching to young children is fueled more by adult anxiety rather than by an understanding of children and their healthy development. And herein lies a challenge for elementary school educators today. They know that force-feeding academic skills to young children is not healthy for them and will not improve their current or future lives. What they need to do is to engage parents in an ongoing conversation about what makes most sense--about the learning process that will help their children develop into successful, engaging, and resilient adults.