Mar
Something To Look Back On?
I was talking with my kids the other day about what I used to do for fun when I was their age. I’m not really sure how the conversation came up, but it did and I went with it.
You see, when I was a kid, we played outside all the time. We played kickball in the cul-de-sac, we played back-up dancers (don’t ask), we played “ship” (think Lost in Space but on top of a huge rock in the side yard), we rode bikes, we went exploring.
Today…I don’t see that so much. I see kids watching TV, I see them playing video games, I see them texting (sometimes when they’re sitting next to each other).
And it kind of makes me sad. I think back on my childhood and I smile thinking about the crazy adventures I got into with my friends. I remember staying outside for hours on end (until I literally got frostbite on my toes) after a snowstorm, only to go in for a change of mittens before heading out again. I remember snow angels and snow forts and covering the front yard with footprints.
Heck, my dream of being a writer was born on an afternoon playdate at a friend’s house. And we weren’t watching TV. 
Contrast that against today and I can’t imagine there will be much to look back on… I mean, really, what’s to remember about sitting in a corner, staring at a screen, and pressing buttons?
What’s your take? Am I missing something?
~Elizabeth
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:56 am
Back in the day was so simple and carefree. We used our imagination, in fact, we came up with the weirdest things to do.
You’re so right, there’s nothing to remember except the four walls of their home.
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:18 am
I don’t agree with this. I have kids 15, 12 and 4 and I see all kinds of play, many like what we did as kids. Yes there is a lot of video games and TV, but as parents we do what we can to regulate it while also allowing it.
Kick the kids out of the house. Conspire with the other parents in the neighborhood to kick all the kids out so they can play together. My kids still ride bikes, play sports, swing, come up with strange games and fight.
While technology can lead to the kids sitting in a basement all day, don’t allow it. Put the computer in the kitchen. Use the parental controls on the xbox. Lock down the router so their devices can’t reach the internet during most hours.
If they spend all their time in a neighbor’s basement, restrict how much time they can be there.
PLAY WITH THEM. Both outside and on the gaming consoles. Take them to the pool, lake or park. Challenge them to a WII game. Or Call of Duty. If you think about many of your memories as a kid, there was a parent involved at some level, even if it was kicking you out of the house.
But don’t forbid using technology. There are social aspects to technology, including being able to talk about what they did before school etc. It can also tweak their creativity. I know a number of kids who are interested in web design, game creation or computers in general because of their use of the computer for web surfing.
Research the games they play and make recommendations. Sims appears boring at first, until you realize you need to build families, communities etc. Look at the Roller coaster/amusement park building games. Violent games shouldn’t be the only thing they play.
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:04 am
I think if kids have parents like you, Chris, they’re fine. But seriously…I don’t see kids outside as much anymore.
Just last summer I was at an aquarium in South Carolina. Cool stuff everywhere… and there was this kid (about
sitting in a corner playing with his handheld game completely oblivious to the stingrays and the shark and everything else.
And not more than a few days later I’m walking in Central Park with my daughters and there’s this kid in a stroller (about 4 I’d say) watching a handheld DVD player instead of the squirrels and the people and the birds.
Falls on the parents, no doubt, but it’s a shame. Because you’re gonna remember the sting rays when you’re older. Not which level you got to on a game.
Just my take. Hoping we’ll get a little more discussion to add to this.
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:05 am
Okay, that smiley face was supposed to be an EIGHT. LOL!
March 3rd, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Well, I was one of the ones who had to be kicked out of the house. Especially when we moved to the farm. The closest neighbor with a kid my age was 1/2 mile away. And my mom didn’t want me to ride my bike that far… But when we lived in town… man, I remember walking through the flood irrigation water running down the curb and thinking how cool it was we had our own, small pool.
However, I don’t remember my mom being around at all until we moved. Except the one time I got in trouble for walking through the alley instead of on the street because she wanted to take me shopping with her and she drove to the school to find me.
I think Chris’ point is well taken. Parents are responsible for what kids can and can’t do. I’m sure I would have been in big trouble reading a book at an aquarium if my folks had shelled out the $5 to get me in.
My poor deprived son didn’t get a video game until he was sixteen. Then he never came out of the bedroom until I divorced his father.
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:14 pm
We used to ride bikes all the time, and hunt under rocks in the woods looking for….well, who knows!
I do think that video games have their place, especially something like the Wii — kids get their game but it is active.
I spent a few days with a high school friend last year when going to a hockey tournament, and met her 2 kids ~3 and 5 years. She and her husband came up with what I think is an outstanding system. They have a chart, and when the kids do something like playing outside they get check marks for ever 30 minutes. They need to get (I think) 2 or 4 activity checks to earn one 30 minute screen time (tv, video game or computer)!
March 4th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Maybe as a nation we’re better at marketing than parenting. Hence, the glut of games on the market.
The games wouldn’t be there if kids didn’t play them.
And kids wouldn’t have time to play them if they were busy doing things with friends or their parents.
That said, I spent my summers roaming the woods of rural Illinois, alone. And I could, because it was safe. No way I’d let my kids do that today.
So…get out of the house. Just…not too far out.
*sigh*