Where have the lazy days of summer gone? The days when neighborhood kids met to play outside---riding bikes, going to the fishing hole, playing baseball, meeting at the drugstore on the corner? Even with the lure of television in the 60's the kids of previous generations still mangaged to connect socially through afterschool adventures which involved direct socialization and physical activitiy.
Today with the advent of instant messaging, text messaging and on-line gaming, kids are becoming increasingly isolated and physically inactive. A drive through a neighborhood on a Saturday or after shcool hours would not find groups of kids out on lawns and on the sidewalks. More and more of today's kids have scheduled activities which are formally supervised. When they are not engaged in scheduled activities then they are ensconsed in their houses or rooms communicating via the latest technology. Although kids today do benefit from all the new technology that is available and as a result are more globally aware and connected than kids of previous generations, they are also disenfranchised in the art of peer socialization. Their preoccupation with activities that take place in isolation has taken away their opportunity to learn to problem solve among themselves and develop negotiation and leadership skills (such as occurs in an informal neighborhood softball game,etc...).
As parents it is important to assure that our kids are having the opportunity to have balanced lives. That they have "down time", "social free time", "physical activity time" and "structured time". Kids will gravitiate toward their own interests but need to have guidance and support from parents. At one time parents were advised against using the TV as a babysitter, today that same advice can be said for the computer. Parents must be aware of their childrens activities and must be supportive in producing well balanced choices.
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6 comments:
What a timely topic. I remember during my senior year of high school, AOL Instant Messenger was the big new thing. That makes me sound old, but that was not that long ago. As I think about how much fun that was, I am reminded of how technology can and has become a major part of social lives. Rather than call people (another technology) or visit with people, sometimes it was easier to just log on to the computer, see who was signed on and have a big visit. If someone wrote something that I did not want to respond to or if I wanted to think about it, I could wait and pretend I was talking to someone else or typing. It can become addictive. That has happened even more over the last few years. Now, kids constantly text. Every evening, at one point, I felt that I needed to be online so that I did not miss someone. Now, kids do not feel that they can go the length of a class period without contacting each other. How nervous it must make them to be without such technologies. I don't think this is really healthy. Did you hear about the kid who killed himself when his parents took away his XBox? Apparently, he was really into an interactive game, and taking the game away took away his friends. Yikes.
Donna,
I think you are absolutely right. Too often we promote technology and do not look at how it hinders us. The children have allowed it rule their lives. Obesity is up and may say it is due to the increased used of technology. Very rarely do we see children outside playing, because they are inside playing video games. This does not give them the socialization they need and the exercise they need to grow mentally and physically. So, although technology has made life very simple in many ways, in other ways, it has created an entirely new monster.
I had a parent come to me for advice. She was complaining that when she had brought her daughter’s friends out to dinner, the entire time they sat at the table and text their friends. What should she do about it? I laughed to myself. The mother said she was very upset with their behavior. Well, instead of telling them, the children, to put the technology away, she sat their brooding over how upset she was. Did this teach the students a lesson? No, it did not. It simply reinforced their behavior. In addition, the mother then proceeded to ask if she should buy her daughter a cell phone so that she is not left out with contact from her friends. So, parents don’t think it is right, but they will not correct, and they contribute to the problem. Technology is not always what it is cracked up to be. Somewhere the line must be drawn. Children are children. They don’t know any better, but adults do. So, I guess that means shame on us!
Jenn
I totally agree with you. As I reflect upon my childhood, computers were used in businesses and not for entertainment. Our parents only had to ask once if we wanted to go out and play. Now,I look on the playground at school and it is amazing to see the excitement in the children's faces to see them play on the playground.
Parents have students so engaged in competition sports that they do not have an opportunity to grow up. It's somewhat disappointing to know that the computer are taking over. However, I can also relate this to schools using the computer programs to track student progress and teach skills that really need to be taught by a human being. Where in the world are we headed?
Donna,
I remember when my daughter went to college at age 16. What an adjustment. I only wished that she had waited until she was older. We have adult life for many years, but our childhood only lasts for a short time.
My district offers dual enrollment, as well, but it is believed that our children are growing up too fast. The concepts that I learned at 12 and 13 the kids are learning at 5 and 6.
This is such a hot topic that I am sure we could go on and on. But how can we slow down the growing process that the kids can be kids and not take on adult responsibilities. There are kids who are responsible for keeping their younger siblings because parents have to work. Our culture is now taking life for granted.
What can we do? This was a good topic.
Mildred Calhoun
The changing face of childhood has emerged as a new type of student in higher education. In the past several years I have noticed a change in our graduate student body. For budding scientists, they seem to lack the curiosity required for pure scientists. These are the children that had play times so structured that multiple calendars were needed to keep up with all their extra curricular activities. Parents were of the "helicopter" type - hovering around to prevent them from ever falling in the first place. I see this attitude in my current batch of students: they are always looking for someone to "do it for them". No self initiation at all. That self initiation comes from free play, and falling down more than a couple of times. How else will they learn how to pick themselves up?
Everything today is so rushed. My own children don't appreciate being children. Kids want cell phones, they want to do adult things too soon. It is scarey watching the new generation. What kids today fail to realize is that with adulthood comes adult responsibilities.
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