I don’t know how many times I’ve heard things like, “Kids today are so different. They know so much more.”
“Yes, but they spend so much time playing indoors. We certainly don’t live in the same world as we used to.”
I do see that children today know a lot, but I think children aren’t so different than they ever were … they just now have cooler gadgets. We all do.
But, kids are still just kids. And we need to make sure they get the time to be kids.
It’s evident our world is full of technology. You can hardly get by without it now, and really you need it to move forward in life. So, I do let my kids play iPad and Kindle Fire and pound around on the computer. Nobody is going to want to hire someone who can’t work the basics (which, no, isn’t just typing anymore).
And just like with anything else, children pick things up so quickly. Now is an advantageous time to expose them to technology. They may be showing me a thing or two here in the near future.
But, at the same time, when I hear people commenting that their own children used to play outside, it makes me sad when I realize you don’t see children outside like you used to.
I played outside, too, all the time … sometimes even by myself, as I was the only child. I loved it. And, honestly, it aided not only my sense of imagination, but my sense of self as well.
I’ve heard, “We must have just been more responsible at a younger age.”
But do you really think that’s it? Or, did your parents just expect more from you at a younger age?
I know we live in a time where we are obviously concerned about our children’s safety. But parents, through time, have always wanted their children to be safe.
It becomes a very fine line to walk. But, hearing those words has made me realize my children aren’t babies anymore. It’s OK to let them grow up … just a little.
And I think it’s time for me to expect more from my boys, help make them more responsible, and maybe someday even let them play out in the yard on their own (yes, I’m holding my breath).
Of course, right now, I stay outside with them, because I am still teaching them to stay away from cars, not talk to strangers and/or tackle your brother and shove mud in his mouth.
They still need me for some things.
But, I don’t give my kids enough credit sometimes. They’ve learned what’s right and wrong (not that they always act the way they are supposed to). But, as children, we didn’t always act as we were supposed to either. That’s part of growing up.
But I want to learn to balance between technology, responsibility and independence.
I want my kids to play outside, explore the world beyond their bedroom and challenge themselves. I don’t want them to only grow up in front of a TV or playing hunting games on the iPad.
Kids are smart and learn so fast … much faster than we do as adults. Change is harder for us.
But I’m going to try to make the change to expose my kids to both modern and older ways of thinking, all at the same time.
They need technology, but they also need to get a little dirt on their hands and learn to be independent.
What good is knowing how to use an iPad if you don’t know all the places you can go, and things you can do with it?
Learning remains a priority, but real-world knowledge is essential. Scraped knees and dirty clothes are just signs of a life well lived.
