It’s nearly impossible to walk through a grocery store, ride on a plane or even wait in line at a movie theater without seeing young children completely consumed in today's technology. iPhones, iPads or any other branded hand held devices. Today’s kids do this while yesterday’s kids played outside, doodled in a notebook or simply stood quietly beside Mom or Dad while they waited in line. Yes, it’s a very different world, but kids today have no idea how we used to go outside and create our own kind of entertainment.
I grew up with two younger brothers so being stuck in the house would usually be bedlam for my parents. I can clearly remember telling my dad, “I’m so bored,” and he would always reply, “Go outside and find something to do.” And that’s exactly what we did. I remember walking trails in the woods or tossing up rocks and hitting them with my old wooden bat acting like I was Sammy Sosa or Mark McGuire in the home run derby. Now it seems kids only virtually see the woods from the screens of their iPads and only hit home runs on their apps. We used to play tackle or touch football with our friends in the backyard and now kids only play “touch” football because you have to tap the screen to tackle the opposition. There’s just so much I feel kids are missing out on.
Now, are there benefits of today’s technology for children? Well of course there are. Kids have quick access to a dictionary, a calculator or even the ability to FaceTime with a parent who is away. Parents find huge advantages with this new technology because they can pretty much monitor their young ones in every way. For example, there are apps that link to cameras in your house. A child staying home alone while mom goes to the store is never truly “home alone.” Mom and dad can also monitor where their son and/or daughter is 24/7 because we have apps that track their phones. This is great for parents but it just wasn’t like that for us. Kids in the 1990’s and 2000’s had to flip pages through their Webster, and when dad was away on a business trip, we got to talk to him on the house phone. I understand that we have to keep up with this day and age and it’s difficult to not just go with the flow of things, but it’s a parent’s job to raise a well-rounded child who not only can shoot hoops on their iPhone but also outside at their local park.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible for kids to get away from today’s technology, but I just think they should know what all else is out there to do. How many of the current children seven to thirteen years old have played capture the flag? How about cops and robbers? Or even just hide and seek? Now what if you were to ask that same question to some from the age of 23 to 29? I bet most, if not all, would say they have. Some could argue and ask us in that 23 to 29 year old group if we have ever played some of the games kids play today on their iPads. We would probably all say no. Lucky for us, we have the capability to have those very own apps explain to us how they are played and used. It takes another human being (a parent, a friend, a babysitter, etc.) to teach kids how to play outdoor games. Times have changed and it will only continue to do so. But I promise there is nothing better than just being outside from sun up to sun down making your own fun that you can one day tell your kids about.
