Kids these days.
Posted: Dec 13th, 2012, 6:06 pm
Whenever we have a thread on crimes or irresponsible behaviour committed by youth, invariably there is a "kids these days" component to the discussion. Posters lament the end of corporal punishment, we blame the parents, the school system, video games, hooded sweatshirts, etc. There is some validity to all of these points (well maybe not the hooded sweatshirts) but I don't think any of these ideas holds a definitive answer.
When I think back to my own childhood (early 1980's) I was aware of older teens (17 and up) smoking, drinking, having sex. They also got their driver's licenses as early as possible, and the boys grew facial hair if they could. Many moved out of their parents' house at the first opportunity. Those that didn't, wanted to. The reason they did all of this is because they wanted to appear older, and live an adult lifestyle. They were modelling themselves after the adults in their lives. In those days, media wasn't as ubiquitous (and inescapable) as it is now. There was no internet, cable TV was limited to 13 channels, and movies were either seen in the theatre or, years after release, on television. The youth of that era didn't have very many voices outside of family, friends, and school to influence them.
In 2012, today's teens are the first generation that's had access to computers and the internet since they were old enough to use them. Many of us have over 100 TV channels in the home, and instant access to movies, television, and music if we want it. That's a massive onslaught of media, one which simply didn't exist for the youth of my generation and the ones before it. Along with all of that media, comes a fairly twisted picture of human behaviour. Popular culture glorifies irresponsible, destructive behaviour. TV shows focus on bringing out the worst in people, and embarassing mistakes are played for laughs. The voice of reason, whether it comes from family, teachers, or even public figures, is just one voice among many. It's not surprising that teens, who's higher brain functions are still developing, aren't always able to separate the wheat from the chaff. A young person can still model themselves after their parents. Or they can follow the path of the kids on Jersey Shore.
Many parents today are beset by problems of their own. Mental health issues, substance issues, poverty, or simple inability to balance their lives. As we've seen, when parents don't have their own act together, their children likely won't either.
It's not the 1950's or even the 1980's anymore; the world has changed, and what a young person experiences in life has changed. I firmly believe that the youth of today are both much smarter and much dumber than previous generations. A toddler can manipulate technology that didn't even exist when his parents were children. Yet many life skills that were essential for the kids of yesteryear, are a mystery to young people today.
So how do you guide your children in 2012? How do you stem the tide of media that's flooding their brains, without turning them into social shut-ins? What's worked for you? What hasn't?
When I think back to my own childhood (early 1980's) I was aware of older teens (17 and up) smoking, drinking, having sex. They also got their driver's licenses as early as possible, and the boys grew facial hair if they could. Many moved out of their parents' house at the first opportunity. Those that didn't, wanted to. The reason they did all of this is because they wanted to appear older, and live an adult lifestyle. They were modelling themselves after the adults in their lives. In those days, media wasn't as ubiquitous (and inescapable) as it is now. There was no internet, cable TV was limited to 13 channels, and movies were either seen in the theatre or, years after release, on television. The youth of that era didn't have very many voices outside of family, friends, and school to influence them.
In 2012, today's teens are the first generation that's had access to computers and the internet since they were old enough to use them. Many of us have over 100 TV channels in the home, and instant access to movies, television, and music if we want it. That's a massive onslaught of media, one which simply didn't exist for the youth of my generation and the ones before it. Along with all of that media, comes a fairly twisted picture of human behaviour. Popular culture glorifies irresponsible, destructive behaviour. TV shows focus on bringing out the worst in people, and embarassing mistakes are played for laughs. The voice of reason, whether it comes from family, teachers, or even public figures, is just one voice among many. It's not surprising that teens, who's higher brain functions are still developing, aren't always able to separate the wheat from the chaff. A young person can still model themselves after their parents. Or they can follow the path of the kids on Jersey Shore.
Many parents today are beset by problems of their own. Mental health issues, substance issues, poverty, or simple inability to balance their lives. As we've seen, when parents don't have their own act together, their children likely won't either.
It's not the 1950's or even the 1980's anymore; the world has changed, and what a young person experiences in life has changed. I firmly believe that the youth of today are both much smarter and much dumber than previous generations. A toddler can manipulate technology that didn't even exist when his parents were children. Yet many life skills that were essential for the kids of yesteryear, are a mystery to young people today.
So how do you guide your children in 2012? How do you stem the tide of media that's flooding their brains, without turning them into social shut-ins? What's worked for you? What hasn't?