Once we become parents we start to see things from different perspective. I certainly started to understand my parents a lot more… I can relate to their decisions and reactions that I’ve previously found to be exaggerated or even unjust.
Everything changes once you have children and maybe we also start to see our own childhood with different eyes? I often ask myself: how was my own childhood compared to the one of my kids now? Was is easier being a child 30 years ago?
My Voucher Codes have conducted a research where they asked parents to compare their own childhood to their kids’ childhood. 48% thought their kids would find life much harder than they did, which is surprising I think!
Technology plays a very big role in this of course.
57% of parents thought that kids grow up too quickly due to technology. 32% worry that children rely on mobile tech too much. 59%, on the other hand, agreed that technology offered them more opportunities.
I think we can agree that technology is neither only good or bad and his article Are Our Kids Missing Out on Childhood talks about some of the worries that parents have and how it influences our children’s lives. It also talks about the role that parents play in all of this and that it’s our responsibility to control it!
Maybe this means that parenting has become harder than it was 30 years ago?
My kids are two and nearly four years old and they don’t have their own ipads yet but we do have two ipads in the house to keep them entertained if necessary. We have a TV and we have Netflix which means we hardly ever watch anything that is on “normal” TV.
I don’t have the excuse to say that Peppa Pig is only on at 6.30pm every evening and is finished at 6.45pm. Peppa Pig is available ALL THE TIME and if I miss the end of an episode (which is easily missed on Netflix which jumps straight away to the next one) then they’ve watched 10 five-minute episodes before I know it!
The kids grow up in a world where pretty much every adult has a smart phone and uses it a lot (I admit I’m probably the most guilty of that in our family). Information is available 24/7 at a touch of the screen. They can watch any episode of Paw Patrol at any time of the day as long as I allow them to. They can listen to any song they want to when they (or I) want to as long as it’s on Spotify.
They are surrounded by technology – even in nursery! They can see their grandparents even though they live in a foreign country on the phone while we are out and about or sitting in the garden! I remember struggling with the cord of our rotary dial telephone trying to get myself a juice from the fridge while talking to my grandma, who kept an eye on the time as it was so expensive to call from one town to another!
So, of course their childhood is very different to my own! And so is being a parent!
We had a TV and a telephone. No smart phones, no internet. When I was 11 I think I had a Gameboy but have to say that I was never that interested in Mario and his friends. I played outside with the kids in the neighbourhood but can’t say that my childhood was maybe as idyllic as my parent’s childhood seemed to have been… running around in fields, playing in the woods all day long. That’s probably because I grew up in a city…
Every generation has their own challenges.
For our children’s generation one of the challenges is dealing with the effects of technology and related stress. How will it affect their learning and their concentration? Instant gratification, being able to watch what you want when you want. The amount of information available and how to judge it’s quality. And I don’t even want to think about dealing with cyber bullying and internet crime…
Is life harder now than it was 30 years ago? I don’t know is my answer and we can never truly compare it as they are personal experiences. Our kids are growing up with all this technology and they will never know it to be any different.
All we can do is adjust to times. We can make sure that our kids are prepared and can deal with things. We can support them and guide them to a certain extend but they will find their own way. They will come across challenges just like we did and they will find solutions just like we did. And then they will have their own kids and someone will ask them “was it easier being a child 30 years ago?”
Though I have no experience of 30 years ago, growing up as child from the late 1990s to the late 2000s and into 2010s, I can say that although technology has had a great impact in my life- both inside and outside education as I.C.T modules are compulsory through to 16 years old in the UK, this has not led to any negative effects that I can visibly perceive (yet). Maybe a decrease in overall activity and exercise? However, I do not think that this can be solely attributed to increase in technology.
Moreover, technology has allowed previously marginalised sections of society to connect and form a supportive communities e.g. racial, religious, sexual and gender identity minorities. Similarly, it is easier to locate and join in with specific interests e.g. walking, swimming…
Anther point to make is that for different types of people, in different countries and various socio-economic situations, a childhood ’30 years ago’ would differ drastically. A childhood 30 years ago in the Middle East for instance, compared to now, would differ in terms of what factor had the most impact on their childhood experience; it could be war or drought rather than advanced technology.
To conclude, the debate certainly goes both ways, and thus, as you mentioned above we should ‘adjust’.
These are some great points that you are making! Of course we can’t generalise this and that’s the whole point. We all have different experiences…
Great article. I don’t have children but alot of nephews. I played out on my bike and met with friends. We didn’t have mobiles until i was fifteeen. My nephews don’t play out in the street because of all the fear of bad people. They are also clued to there ipads. I prefer my childhood and don’t like to see kids with ipads but times have changed and that is all theyve ever known. I need to get with the times x
Thank you! Only time will tell what impact this will have on the next generation!
Even though there are some great advancements in technology which are really handy, I think it leaves children always wanting the next new thing.
Thirty years ago life was more simple and children used there imaginations more but they had to entertain themselves as there was a lot less technology to entertain them.
I think a lot more is expected of children nowadays and they want to fit in.
Even now though, my kids are happiest when we are out in the country or at a park doing simple things x
maybe that’s what it’s all about… going back to basics? x
HI
I read your blog very often and like what you write, how your practice yoga (I watched your YouTube videos, very helpful for a beginner). I asked myself all the questions you are asking yourself in this article. Childhood is so different today, the world around us is so different today. However, I’m pretty sure how parents were asking themselves similar questions (as we had tv with children shows while they had their first tv at 10 years old with no specific children show, we had videotapes, they didn’t…). So I suppose every generation has its own challenges. But true that today’s world is fast pace and as parents, we need to be a step ahead of our kids. Quite hard! Personnaly, we have decided to simplify our life: kids have access to technology one or twice a week, it’s not a hard rule, but we remind them when they ask that they could do something else and we are available in those momements to play with them (not easy to be available but we believe it’s for the greatest good). We don’t listen to the news at all anymore. We don’t indulge into electronic toys, branded toys (like a peppa pig toy). It was a long process and only 9 months ago, they were watching tv (well recording or amazon prime) nearly every day. Don’t be afraid to raise your children differently, they will thank you. (something we say to our 8 years old that she understands is that playing the tablet or watching a dvd will not give her any skills for later, will not help her to earn money but learning piano, drawing, dancing might).
Thanks Carine. That’s a great idea and will definitely use that for my kids! At least my daughter is getting to an age now where she can understand if you explain things properly. Letting them watch tv is usually the easy option to be fair! Sometimes you just need a break…
Times have definitely changed in the last 30 years (early 80’s child), technology has definitely improved for the better apart from a lot of children are on their tablets / ipad / games consoles than going outside and playing with friends. I had a gameboy but I did spend a lot of time outside with my sisters and friends. Also children wants things that cost a lot of money a lot to do with peer pressure. I had my first pay as you go mobile phone when I was 16 and now children have them way too young. Also you didn’t worry a lot letting your children play outside with friends but now parents are more worried xxx