Quote:
Originally Posted by ugotme
Unfortunately today there is basically NO social inter-action.
Without sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, growing up we were always outside with our friends. playing whatever games you played in your area. But, we interacted with each other - sometimes laughing sometimes arguing. We "saw" each other and talked to each other.
Today, most kids are cooped up looking at a television - whether it be a program or a video game. When they are bored with that they take out their cell phones and either play another game or text each other. You can not develop social skills through a phone! Life isn't about if you disagree with someone - you hang up!
What to do? I don't know!!!! There is a lot of peer pressure and a lot of "parent pressure" to help kids "fit in." I would love to see kids outside playing but I believe, for the most part, those days are long gone!
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Our daughter and son in law keep their kids so busy with extracurricular activities (as mentioned above in another post) it tires me just to think about it......but they have thrived on all the interaction with their peers in school, church, community and adults in their lives.......I don't think she ever lets them sit still......they are always doing something educational or "athletic"........but that's just her style..... Living in a rural area, she feels she has to keep them involved or perhaps they would be glued to the t.v.
When we were kids, we were just like you mention above........out playing all the time. The one or two shows we watched were those such as "Superman" or one on Saturday I remember, "Ramar of the Jungle" and then we'd go out and play all day.
Our kids were born in 1968 and 1971 and also played out all the time , even in the winter time.
When I, myself, noticed the change was when new neighbors with ten year "younger" children moved in. They were driven everywhere, whereas our kids walked to their friends' homes, walked to school and back up the hills or walked to the library and movie theatre in town, etc.
just as we used to do.
The new parents also did allow a lot of video game watching and basically kept the kids "close" to home. They turned out just fine, but I did notice a difference in that they didn't play outside during all four seasons such as ours did. Actually, I think our kids and their friends' generation were the last to play out all day such as you and I did. They are now 44 and 41.
Times did change since I was a kid, that's for sure. We were raised in the 1950's.....born in 1945.
I always say to my husband that he and I can watch a show like DEXTER and obviously we are NOT going to go and stab someone to death.....however, there is an entire generation of kids , home alone, watching all the cable network has to offer.......and then some.
My dad would put on BONANZA or some such show, which wasn't violent and he controlled the t.v. knob; there were no remotes back then.
Nowadays, all of the violent t.v. shows probably would very insidiously creep into kids' psyche.....not necessarily cause ALL OF THEM to act on what they see.......but who knows, in a slightly unbalanced mind, what might happen??? Or, since they see so much of it, maybe it wouldn't phase them one iota.
But for the good news, most of the young parents I know, which are friends of our adult children and old neighbors' children plus our young neices and nephews, DO NOT allow their children to watch much t.v. at all........so there is a parental control of sorts happening........at least with the young parents we know.
But, I know exactly what you mean.........