Every generation complains about “kids these days.” But those of us who grew up before the mid-1980s have some real concerns about today’s kids. Their play time is structured (“play dates”). They’re followed closely by “helicopter parents.” A lot of their social interactions are mediated by on-line social media networks. Could it be that they aren’t learning crucial life lessons? We worry that they aren’t learning to be independent and self-reliant. We learn by doing and maybe kids these days aren’t doing enough.
The video we’ve posted below is an entertaining trip down memory lane for anyone who survived good old-fashioned childhood. It starts right out with the narrator intoning, “I can’t believe we made it. According to today’s bureaucrats and regulators, those of us who were kids in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, or even early ’80s probably should not have survived.” And then it’s on to fond memories of cribs with brightly-colored lead paint, non-childproof pill bottles, and much more. While humorous, the video does make some serious points about how much more independent kids used to be. Back in the days of “free-range” childhood, kids found their own friends, learned to handle defeat and adversity, learned that if they messed up, they likely had nobody to blame but themselves. Lawsuits weren’t filed over every little thing and if you got in trouble at school, you could bet your parents were going to side with the principal! Maybe it’s no accident that so many “free-range” children grew up to become risk-taking innovators. There must have been something great in that garden hose water!
Did this video describe your early years to a T? Do you worry that kids who came later missed out on some important life lessons? Let us know in the Facebook comments. Don’t forget to like and share: your friends probably drank from garden hoses, too!
https://youtu.be/oUOo4oX4xCs
