When you look around at kids nowadays, you can see the newest technology keeping them busy. Kids are starting to become attracted to technology at even younger ages; I've seen toddlers maneuver their way through a cell phone. Sometimes parents will just sit a child down with an iPad or iPhone to keep them quiet. Well, I'm glad that wasn't the generation I grew up in.

Don't get me wrong, I love technology as much as the next person and I've come to rely on it just like most young adults do; however, by not growing up with all these different forms of technology around me, I was able to have a more active childhood.

When looking back at my childhood, I remember being outside playing more than being inside. Those were the times where instead of calling friends to hang out we would walk to their houses and knock on their front doors. We would gather a group of friends and play our favorite game, "Manhunt," all night long. It was definitely more fun than spending a night in watching Netflix.

The summers were the best since the warm weather allowed us to stay outside even longer. Back in those days when we weren't in the pool, we were playing Wiffle ball in the yard not scrolling through social media on our iPhones. We focused on living in the moment with the people around us instead of boasting about it on Snapchat or Instagram. We didn't need to record every moment on a certain app.

Throughout the day, we probably wound up playing every sport or at least going through a few tournaments. We were constantly in motion, always onto the next game. Our parents would have to yell at us to stop our game and to come inside for dinner.

Days at the beach were just as fun. We could have paddle ball tournaments in the sand then swim around in the ocean when we got too hot (or when the game got too heated). Then we could skimboard or boogie board whenever we got bored of just swimming around. There was never a dull moment where we needed to stop and check social media.

Since I lifeguard at a pool, I see a lot of kids come through the area. I can see the difference that technology has had on their childhoods. Some kids would rather sit outside the pool and be on their phones rather than fooling around in the pool. I even see parents who pay no attention to their kids swimming and instead focus on their cell phones. Technology has taken a toll on our attention spans and deterred physical activity among children. Let's bring back the childhood where we didn't need technology to keep us busy.