What are we doing to our kids? It seems that parents these days want their kids to be stimulated everywhere and anywhere they go. Gone for a ride? Well there's the DVD player in the SUV that will do the trick. What about being in their rooms? The computer is there along with a TV, Ipod, CD player, etc etc. Where and when will these kids ever be alone? How will they ever get used to being alone if there is this constant stimulation that seems to be driving this generation? Kids are not ever allowed to use their imagination. They can't "think" of things to do because things are already supplied. I hate to sound old, but when I lived on the farm in my formative years, there was "nothing" to do. We had a TV that got two stations (on a good day), a radio that picked up AM stations and a little reel to reel recorder that allowed me plenty of time to bug my sister. Funny, I was rarely bored. I got outside, rode my bike, hiked, camped and pretty much did all the stuff by myself. Chores in the morning and chores in the afternoon. How could these kids today ever survive in that world? My parents would take long trips and there was little to occupy my time, so I would make up stuff. I did it. I figured out how to stave off bordom. Me. Not a macnine or anyone else. It built character. Wait, you mean you would actually leave the kids alone, by themselves to finish a task? Won't happen. Instead of GPS machines, I folded the map and navigated a long trip. Without the GPS, I could tell you how far the next town was, what turn to make and usually where the best cheeseburgers were. We're missing a very important component to growing up in this day of immediate stimulation. The ability to think for oneself, to solve problems, to be creative, to make friends, to be alone, to make up fun things to do without relying on machines is now lost on this generation. The simple pleasure of completing a jigsaw puzzle, completing a crossword puzzle, pondering the universe or our future, to think independently without outside stimulation is now a lost artform with these kids. They need constant supervision and constant stimulation. How sad for them, how sad for us.
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Problem With Adults
What are we doing to our kids? It seems that parents these days want their kids to be stimulated everywhere and anywhere they go. Gone for a ride? Well there's the DVD player in the SUV that will do the trick. What about being in their rooms? The computer is there along with a TV, Ipod, CD player, etc etc. Where and when will these kids ever be alone? How will they ever get used to being alone if there is this constant stimulation that seems to be driving this generation? Kids are not ever allowed to use their imagination. They can't "think" of things to do because things are already supplied. I hate to sound old, but when I lived on the farm in my formative years, there was "nothing" to do. We had a TV that got two stations (on a good day), a radio that picked up AM stations and a little reel to reel recorder that allowed me plenty of time to bug my sister. Funny, I was rarely bored. I got outside, rode my bike, hiked, camped and pretty much did all the stuff by myself. Chores in the morning and chores in the afternoon. How could these kids today ever survive in that world? My parents would take long trips and there was little to occupy my time, so I would make up stuff. I did it. I figured out how to stave off bordom. Me. Not a macnine or anyone else. It built character. Wait, you mean you would actually leave the kids alone, by themselves to finish a task? Won't happen. Instead of GPS machines, I folded the map and navigated a long trip. Without the GPS, I could tell you how far the next town was, what turn to make and usually where the best cheeseburgers were. We're missing a very important component to growing up in this day of immediate stimulation. The ability to think for oneself, to solve problems, to be creative, to make friends, to be alone, to make up fun things to do without relying on machines is now lost on this generation. The simple pleasure of completing a jigsaw puzzle, completing a crossword puzzle, pondering the universe or our future, to think independently without outside stimulation is now a lost artform with these kids. They need constant supervision and constant stimulation. How sad for them, how sad for us.
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1 comment:
Amen!
I say things like this to my students so often... and they... so often... look totally dumbfounded like I am speaking a foreign language.
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