Why I'm here....

Since I've always been quick with an opinion an old friend once lost and again found suggested that perhaps I should share with more people my commentary. Never being one to pass on a challenge I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Child's Play


Watching my niece and nephew play today took me back to the carefree years of my youth growing up. My brother and I were very close and we often played games together or a good old fashioned game of cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers together. Most kids today have way more toys than they need and more than I probably got all the time I was growing up. It was nice seeing my niece and nephew partake in a game today that required them to use their imagination. I know there are a large range of toys and lots of variety for kids to play with, but one thing that bothers me are that a lot of the toys out there these days think for the kids. They tell the kids what to do, and how to react. Where is the good in that? We need children who are able to be creative and think outside of the box. I remember playing with a can of water and some old bowls and pans my mother had given me and pretending it was a kitchen and mud was often what I served up. Another thing that bothers me about children today is that a lot of the parents let them stay glued to video games and the television set. My dad would call the television set an idiot box. There is no harm in them doing these things some, but children should be outside playing when the weather is nice. They should be creating and reading and growing. Not just stuck in front of a television full of advertisements and hooked up to a video game that may set unrealistic expectations on life for them. Not that I'm bashing video games. I actually think when played some and not in large quantities they can help broaden the mind. It's just if that is all they ever do, it's not cool in my opinion. Last night I was actually talking to a few people at the party about children and how I believe they should sit down and eat before play. We were also talking about kids that act like wild banshee's in public. I just don't get that. Never in a million years would I have ever even considered throwing a tantrum in public, but today's kids do it all the time. My niece and nephew do good most of the time, every once in a while though. Wow. But today they were children at play with a world laying at their feet full of promise and mystery. I'm scared for our children. Our government doesn't allow them to learn lessons I personally feel are an integral part of growing up. The schools are no longer allowed to let the children play tug of war, instead they call it tug of fun. When games are played at school everyone must get a ribbon, because heaven forbid little Johnny learn as he should that life isn't always fair and that you do lose sometimes. I had a friend in high school, actually two grades ahead of me. He was the golden child you might say. He got straight A's and was liked by all. He had looks too. Everything in school was handed to him on a silver platter and I doubt he ever heard a bad word at home. When he got out of school he couldn't handle life. It wasn't all being handed to him anymore. He hung himself in a motel in Florida the summer after graduation. So the schools are robbing our children of lessons I feel they need to learn. Life isn't always fair. We have to use our imaginations. We have to fight and push forward. After all it would be great if all of life were child's play, but those of us in the real world know it isn't.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i agree about kids these days not getting out enough. i still remember the chocolate mud pies i used to bake in the sun. the railroad tracks i would walk accross to get to your home. (yea, ravin and all) my daughter used to throw a tantum in public. it was horrible. i stopped it by not taking her anywhere for a few months except to school, babysitter, and church. one day she wanted to know why we didnt eat out or anything i told her i was waiting for her to grow up. well she changed that attitude and quick. it was stressful not to take her anywhere but it had to be done to show her what she was missing out on. and the schools are to blame too. in elementry and middle they cuddle them and think that kids dont lie. in high school they wake up and try to punish the kids that never lied. but be a parent that says her kid lied then you are bad guy. trust me i was a bad guy alot and my daughter is a good upstanding citizen becouse i refused to fail her. kinda glad that i was treated poorly at home adn at school. made me a stronger person in the long run. besides basic training was a cake walk for me and that even scared a drill sargent when i said i was happier there then living at home.