What Today's Kids are Missing!

keerthi88 · Jul 23, 2015

Dear All,

I have been thinking about writing this post for a long time now and the only reason why i had been putting it off was i thought i might look too old if i really write a post like this. Being that said, let us move on to what i had been meaning to say!

When i look at kids these days (see, i told you i would sound too old , but never mind), i often rewind my thoughts to how i used to live as a kid. The satisfaction level of kids have hit a new benchmark these days. Most of the times it is too complicated to understand or comprehend the meaning of it.

When i used to be a kid, i played in dirt, looked for houses that are being constructed around our lonely neighbourhood so my sister and I can play building sand forts. But today's kids never let their shoes off to play in dirt or mud. The satisfactory smile that appears in our hearts and lips when we finished collecting a handful of seashells from the mud pile is nowhere to be seen today.

We had sharing as a habit by birth, but today's kids neither wanna share their things with their friends nor want others to share anything with them. I am not sure what i should be calling this. Normal kids used to be normal only when they fight for a toy with their friends. I feel horrified to see kids just sitting all day long with their Ipads doing nothing but stare at their screens.

During my days, it was a lucky jackpot if dad buys me a microtip pencil or a watercolor box. Infact, owning a watercolor box was one of my dreams-come-true. I never had branded shoes, branded bags, never ate in a luxury chain restaurant, never seen malls, never owned any ipad. But today when i look back i see only happy memories of childhood.

Playing, unlike today, was never done alone with an iPad in my hands. Going out, unlike today, was never to malls. Eating, unlike today, was never done in chain restaurants. Passing time, unlike today, never included surfing the web. All we played were swings and rings! All we went out was roaming in the hot sun never knowing our destination! All that was eating out was buying mangoes with chillipowder and fifty paise candies in a granny's petty shop.

Luxury was a hero pen gifted by dad. Celebration was couple of candies given by a classmate on their birthdays. Web meant a spider's home, net meant a fishing tool, apple and blackberry were just fruits. A virus was an infection. And kids really meant kids.

I wonder whether our next generation would feel the cringing yet enjoyable taste of the tamarind candy wrapped in an icecream stick? I wonder whether they will ever understand what freedom it means to wander worry-free down the neighbor streets? I wonder whether they will ever know the taste of the world with NOT so much technology? I wonder whether they will ever be showered with love from uncles and aunties around their neighborhood? I wonder whether they will experience the sheer joy of staying at a relative's house overnight to be treated like a prince or princess for the brief stay?

Are today's children really gifted to live in today's world? Technology may have it's own benefits, but it is undeniably true that it cannot replace certain things that it took away already from the kids of the nextgen. In spite of a lot of things that technology filled (rather dumped) into today's world, there is a huge hollow in the life of the kids today, that they wont even know about!!!

Things were never complicated those days. Never complicated, but ever wholesome and complete. Everything was much easier to get around. May be this post was too dramatized, may be, today's kids have a better story to tell tomorrow's kids. But the world is what it is. I am reminded of the saying - "Maatram ondre, maaradhahdhu" - "The only thing that doesn't change is 'Change' itself! Did i sound too old, by the way?

Please do share your thoughts too

jayasala42 · Jul 23, 2015

Dear Keerthi88,
The issue has been pressing for long.As you have rightly said 'hange is the only unchangeable thing in the world.
true, we palyed in the mud, drank water from the boring pipe while coming back home from school.
Share? with whom?With one child norm many families have only a single child or at the most two.I have seen new books. Some books were transferred from sisters and brothers .The same case with dresses.
Now you have to pay for books along with fees.Roads are no longer safe to play;all congested with traffic.Buying water is one of the compulsory expenses.if you want to wean the child from iphone or i pad, you have to compulsorily take the child to a park, if it is nearby.We were missing so many things in early times.These children are missing certain other things. We cannot go back to the bullock cart yuga.
I have lived in a house without electricity till I completed my graduation.Today I can't imagine myself spending a day without fan or fridge.
We become enslaved to certain comforts. Our children are bound by certain other comforts which we never had..My Amma used to say the present generation is lucky that they don't see any darkness.She enjoyed sitting below the fan for 10 mts.But we are always under fan.
I was used to live without electricity which my children can never even imagine. My grandchildren listen with wonder if my son says he had no phone connection till 1993.
With advancement in communications day by day they come across many gadjets which look like magic.
We can't say that we were more happy or more fortunate than the present generation. Each generation has seen the positive and negative things in their life.
Jayasala 42

sangeethakripa · Jul 23, 2015

Dear Keerthi

"Factu Factu Factu" .:rotflMost of us feel the same way...

As Jayasala mam' referred this, every generation has its pros and cons.. I try to show and make them experience the similar things of my enjoyment to my kids along with what they are having now. One's thoughts are never benchmark for the age. So you are Rockingly Young -:cheers

Jananikrithsan · Jul 23, 2015

Keerthi,
You hit the bull's eye and hard!
Totally agree with you, kids are not interested and neither do parents have the time woo them away from the gadgets or TV! It's more a fear of being left out for the child where at the young age of ten or even earlier they are given mobiles and other gadgets , seldom knowing it's worth! Great post!

IamLucky · Jul 23, 2015

Hey....You are not sounding old yar..this is running in everyone's mind at one or the other situation and the things you have mentioned brought the old memories before me.
Seriously there are good and bad in every generation but today's children are missing something valuable, that is spending time with relationship rather than machines.
We are also a reason behind that. We should encourage them to go out and play and mingle with others esp share things with others.

Excellent write up. Thanks.

keerthi88 · Jul 23, 2015

Dear @jayasala42,

Thank you for sharing your views here too I'm honored to hear the thoughts of someone who has lived from the ages that we did not have electricity to the world of technology.

You are absolutely right. Kids today, or even us for the matter cannot imagine life without what we have now. But my worry, or rather yearning i should say is, that apart from what the children are enjoying today, they should have been enjoying what we had too. We may not be fortunate enough, but we were fortunate and happy in our own ways. I am worried only about how today's comforts have spoiled children to the range that they have already started thinking that the rest of the world can be just virtual and they dont see a problem with it

We never had a phone connection until about 1998 funny when i think about it. Today we panic to the most possible if we forget our mobile phones at home. Oh the irony

Thank you for coming in here glad to see you!

keerthi88 · Jul 23, 2015

Dear @sangeethakripa,

I am really glad to hear that you are making an effort to try and make the kids experience simple joys that we had! I should really take an example from you!

Yay and someone thinks I'm still young, yay!!! LOL kneesmiley, thank you for coming in here and sharing your thoughts

keerthi88 · Jul 23, 2015

Dear @jananikrithsan,

Thank you I'm definitely sure that parents are a good reason for what the kids are today too! Moreover, wooing them away from gadgets? the world will just tear apart for the kiddos :drowning

We should understand that the children are forming habits involuntarily and the habits are what we give them. And as you say, it is never worth it!

Glad you liked the post. Thank you for coming in here

keerthi88 · Jul 23, 2015

Dear @iamlucky,

Thank you . Old memories always linger in our mind, it takes something like this discussion to really wake that up!! And i am glad that this post did that to you

You are right, spending time with other things apart from gadgets, is what today's kids are not doing. Or we should be saying, are never taught to. Definitely we are a reason behind this too.. We should find a way to give the children the things from both the worlds! Sigh!

Viswamitra · Jul 23, 2015

Dear Keerthi,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject that has been widely discussed among the earlier generation more frequently. Vijubala covered this subject very eloquently in her post http://www.indusladies.com/forums/snippets-of-life-non-fiction/274250-nuclear-getting-nuclear.html as well.

Change is the only thing that is permanent is a very true statement. The changes may be for good or bad only the time can tell. But looking at your perspective, what kind of social interaction experience a child would get if she is playing only with her own iPad or Mobile phone or watching television or playing game in a gaming console if she does not understand how to resolve conflicts while playing with friends? What kind of healthy lifestyle a child can lead if she is not playing at least for two hours in the evening with her friends? Will they ever learn how to appreciate the nature if they don't sit in the shore and collect shells or build castles? Will they pay attention to what parents have to say? Only time can tell.

But there are psychologists who argue that some games promote social skills while others contribute for brain development. But what can contribute the physical exertion that a play can give to the children and how can they become healthy? That is why parents have to either make the children go to dance or karate classes. At least they get structural physical exertion. If the parents were able to inculcate the importance of good health and good character, half the battle is won. Mere success in academic performance means nothing unless they enjoy good health and learn how to build good character. Despite all the gaming devices, televisions, iPads, internet, the children in the western world have not lost their habit of participating in one of the sports. It is in the parents' hands to guide the children to all aspects of life including skills to develop health, personality development, social skills and character. The parents who don't restrict children getting indulged in only video games, internet, television, etc. should wake up to make the next generation a better one. It is their moral responsibility.

Viswa