I agree completely, PTP!
I try to practice what I call "benign neglect" as a form of parenting. Of course I spend lots of time with my kids, but I do so because I choose to, not because they need me to keep them busy. Of course it's a gradual thing that you lead them to, not something you drop on them all at once. But by the time they were 3, each of my kids--even my extrovert--could keep himself entertained without me (within earshot of me) for a good 30 minutes.
The downside is that once in a while they find things to do that are...less desirable. But I think there is a healthy balance to be struck there between too much freedom and too much dependence.
Open-ended toys and non-destructive art supplies are the keys for us. They can spend all day creating and imagining.
P.S. Passthepotatoes: I sent you a private message--look for the blinking envelope and click on it.
