Who Has It The Best?
Which generation of kids has the best deal? The current crop with their iPods and MySpace, or the previous generations who had fewer gadgets but more freedom and safety to play outside?
2 Responses to “Who Has It The Best?”
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April 5th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
I have such great memories of my own early childhood (back in the late 50s and early to mid-60s), which was spent in the suburbs of Southern California. We were free to go out and about through the neighborhood without any real fear. There were always kids to play with nearby, and always things to do. When the weather was bad we’d play board games or cards or make-believe games indoors, without ever running out of ideas. Sure, we’d get bored, but generally we kept ourselves entertained. My own kids never had this freedom of movement–they were not allowed to go down the street without me or my husband watching them, not to mention that there were very few children in our neighborhoods. Because we had cable TV and a whole slew of videos that they could watch over and over, the kids got used to always having something to entertain them. They sometimes played imaginary, creative games but mostly they went for the pre-packaged entertainment. If I were to ask them if they thought they had a good childhood, they’d probably say yes. But in my mind we were luckier, with our freedom of movement and our reliance on our own creativity. But then, I’m an old fogie and of course I’d think we had it better in the “good old days.”
April 6th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I also remember those days (having grown up, in fact, in the same household as you kaforeman) but I also remember that the fun times seemed to screech to a halt very suddenly, about the time I reached junior high school (as it was called, back in the day). As an awkward, overweight, painfully shy adolescent I was often lonely and felt like nobody could ever understand or identify with me. I think it might have been helpful to have modern technology like the internet and personal blogging sites as a way to feel more connected and less alone. But then again, I am also an old fogart who believes “kids these days don’t know how good they got it”!