Childhood as older generations have known it, is disappearing at an alarming rate. Children these days are rushed into school as soon as they are old enough, crammed full of knowledge, and in addition are bombarded with the same news stories that adults are. Children in grammar school, as early as kindergarten, are getting PS3's, laptops, and even cell phones (cell phones probably come a few years later, but still) for their birthdays. At such a young age, more important activities, especially from a developmental standpoint, are development of motor skills, social interaction with their peers, and simple playing with toys (not video games).
I was recently privy to a conversation about a young boy who is 4 years old. His parents are dead set on having him in kindergarten come fall time. In order for him to legally be able to enter, he needs to turn 5 by December 31. Luckily for his parents, his birthday is in early December. However, just because he can legally enter kindergarten does not mean that he is developmentally ready. There is an exam administered to quantify his skill set and determine if he has what it takes. This young boy, unfortunately, was not up to the task. His little hands had trouble grasping blocks, he had trouble with the concept of himself and how to finish a drawing of himself (all he had to do was add some hair, eyes, nose, mouth), and overall he just wasn't mentally prepared. Is this his fault? Not at all, he is simply not ready.
The school he is applying to will not let him into kindergarten because it would be doing a great disservice to him. Despite the parents saying that he is ready and that they want him in for the fall, his actions show otherwise. Seriously, what is the rush of getting a child into school? Is it just an excuse to get him out of the house earlier so parents can focus on their work instead of child rearing? Or is it an effort to make sure that he gets all the knowledge he possibly can as quickly as possible? Every child develops differently, some take longer than others, some develop quickly. Our current societal values dictate that every child of a certain age attain a certain amount of knowledge so they can pass a standardized test. What is the use? There is little account taken as to the difference in learning styles and speed of learning. If a child learns slow, it means they need extra help with a "specialist". There is too much focus placed on the average individual and what constitutes that person.
Back to childhood. In addition to rushing children into school too early, our societal acceptance of the profane and depressing in both media and entertainment has lowered in age. Twenty years ago, children did not have access to the news and entertainment that children today do. A big part of this is parent's allowance of children to access and view this media and entertainment. (I have touched on this before so I will keep it brief this time). Taking care of a crying child is now as easy as plopping them in front of the TV and turning on a movie or TV show. Human interaction even between parents and their siblings has diminished. Yet we wonder how the children today are less capable of interacting on a meaningful level with their peers. When I was little, I got to watch 2 shows, Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, and aside from that, it was continuous play time with lincoln logs, big cardboard boxes turned into houses, and the wonderful dirt, trees, and mud outside. Where has the essence of childhood gone?
If you want evidence for the disappearance of childhood, just look at the news. Children at younger and younger ages are bringing knives and guns to school, having sex earlier and earlier, and even taking drugs at younger ages. These activities used to be reserved for those later in high school, but with the media, entertainment, and parenting what it is, this is no longer the case. It is unfortunate that children are being rushed into adulthood. They are not being allowed to develop their own sense of right and wrong, good vs. evil. These concepts are being taught to them by the media and entertainment. Is it any wonder why children are having more issues with depression and suicide, harboring feelings of resentment when they should have a desire to play and interact with others? It all goes hand in hand.
This, as my other post about parenting, comes down to just that, parenting. We can't rely on the media and entertainment industries to control themselves and adjust what they are portraying because a more youthful audience is watching. Why should we expect them to do that? It is the parents who allow these influences to have an effect. There is still a precedent for children being children, the fact that they can't get jobs till their late teens. This in part speaks to the fact that they are not ready to enter the workforce until they have developed a sense of who they are and a reliable work ethic. We can not rush this process by rushing children through school or exposing them to world knowledge that used to be taboo for a child to see and experience.
If you are over 25, (my apologies to those younger), take a look back at your childhood and re-live what you did. Then look at today's generation of children and see what they are going through. It is time to start bringing children back to childhood, an experience that should be fun and exciting. Do all parents act this way, rushing children through school and assisting in shortening their childhood? No, but there seems to be more and more of them around. If you are a parent who is actively involved with your child and is concerned only with your child developing at his/her own pace, then I applaud you. Others could and should learn from you. Lets focus more of our efforts on our youth. After all, they are the ones who will be leading the world when the rest of us are old and decrepit. If we want to change the world we live in, we must start be re-instituting childhood into our children's lives. Lets let them develop at their own pace with our guidance and help. For now, lets all reminisce about our own childhood. Spend some time re-living what you did and the fun you had. Maybe its time to re-institute some childhood into our own adult lives. You never know, we might actually have more fun!
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