What's happened to childhood?

[lagerlil]

My boyfriend was a biker,(still together now) a lot of the group were scarey looking ,but would not do anyone any harm. we used to have a run out to the haychatters pub in derbyshire. Not one of us caused trouble or would attack someone for the fun of it. nowadays you get verbal off some kids if you dare look at them! childhood for some kids has gone out the window along with respect and discipline. saying that most kids are sound.

[finoni9]

We "make" my 12 yr old go out with us on walks every now and again and altho he complains beforehand, he has a ball, climbing trees, running around with the dog, playing with our 3 yr old on the swings..................

 

I told my hubby during a walk round my home town park recently that I used to be in the park all day with my jam sandwiches and climbing trees and stuff from about 6 or 7 yr old and he couldn't believe it used to be like that...............

[winks]

Yes I certainly agree with lagerlil, the video games and such like are very violent, they seem to make the kids think that they can blow up, stab, shoot or maim anyone and when the game is over they will get up and walk away unharmed. Violence seems to be part of most kids lives with the toys they play with. How can we expect them not to endorse wars, when most of the games they play with encourage violence.

[saxon51]

Wasn't childhood a time when germs didn't exist. When dog muck was more fun to throw than stones, especially the white bits. When dropping your gobstopper in the stream just meant you had a wet gobstopper now, and when plasters were cissy and scabs were cool.

 

Corn Flakes had tiny gifts in them that would choke only the more stupid amongst us and lard tasted better with lots of salt on.

 

Playing out after dark was only dangerous if your mum had told you to be in before then and when one kid's mum shouted him in, every kid within earshot went home.

 

We played with toy guns but weren't so thick that we didn't know the real things were bad and would kill. We used sticks as swords but refrained from beating each other to death. We admired the kids who had the latest toys and we asked if we could play with them, we didn't feel the need to beat up and rob them. We knew that real violence was bad and punishable.

 

We had wellie rings half way down our legs at any time of year.

 

We were destitute, but incredibly cool.

[Lady Star]

Wasn't childhood a time when germs didn't exist. When dog muck was more fun to throw than stones, especially the white bits. When dropping your gobstopper in the stream just meant you had a wet gobstopper now, and when plasters were cissy and scabs were cool.

 

Corn Flakes had tiny gifts in them that would choke only the more stupid amongst us and lard tasted better with lots of salt on.

 

Playing out after dark was only dangerous if your mum had told you to be in before then and when one kid's mum shouted him in, every kid within earshot went home.

 

We played with toy guns but weren't so thick that we didn't know the real things were bad and would kill. We used sticks as swords but refrained from beating each other to death. We admired the kids who had the latest toys and we asked if we could play with them, we didn't feel the need to beat up and rob them. We knew that real violence was bad and punishable.

 

We had wellie rings half way down our legs at any time of year.

 

We were destitute, but incredibly cool.

 

I don't think that todays kids can possibly be as thick as their parents believe - or maybe taking away any responsibility for their own safety, the parents have made sure that their kids are that thick???

 

I was born mid 70's, and a kid in the 80's - we all thought we'd be dead soon from a nuclear attack, but we still had a good time in the woods and fields on outskirts of Nottingham - only ever had a paedo approach me and my mates once, but we were about 12 by then and he came off by far the worst! In those days, you roughed em up, didn't bother to call the police...

[Harry O]

It's a different world now matey.

 

Better/worse... I dunno?

 

Definitely worse.

[Harry O]

when we were kids we used to play hopscotch, skip, play on our scooters, I had a rubix cube, clackers (i think thats what they call them,) we were quite happy and didnt feel threatened as kids are today! half the problem with the young ones now is violent computer games and dvds. I saw two young lads turn violent towards each other whilst playing a computer game, the things should be banned! Bring back the niceties in life.

 

My Bold Highlight.

They were the premier breakers of wrists ever invented, Weren't Clackers Brilliant? hehe

[saxon51]

My Bold Highlight.

They were the premier breakers of wrists ever invented, Weren't Clackers Brilliant? hehe

And if you were really skillful you could make them shatter and lose yourself an eye. Today's toys are tame by comparison.

[PopT]

My childhood was a great adventure experiencing the wonders of insects, animals birds, plants and trees as well as making things at home. There were very few toys, tv and other distractions.

 

I do really believe that this gave me a sense of the world around me with respect for all living things.

 

Today, there are so many phoney distractions created by manufacturers to make money,

 

They have created a must have culture which supercedes any desire to stick with and be satisfied in using what you have and concentrate on getting the best out of the toy or the piece of hi-tech we have.

 

We are creating a never ending greed in our kids to get the best, the dearest and the newest of everything and this may work when the money is there but as soon as the money supply runs out it leaves them in state of failure.

 

This doesn't mean we shouldn't move on but how many times do we buy stuff and replace it with a poorer model, this goes for computers, programmes and all sorts of modern equipment we buy our children.

 

The emphasis is always put on getting the latest model whether it be deigner goods or toys which never fully satisfies the child as there is always another newer model on the horizon good or bad.

 

We cannot go back in time but I'm sure we could do more in schooling and parenting to teach our kids to be more interested in the world around us, not in the false icons and gizmos that are thrown at us on the tv and shops which in the end soon end up in the charity shops or landfills.

 

I hope this makes some sense and finds agreement.

 

PopT

[saxon51]

My childhood was a great adventure experiencing the wonders of insects, animals birds, plants and trees as well as making things at home. There were very few toys, tv and other distractions.

 

I do really believe that this gave me a sense of the world around me with respect for all living things.

 

Today, there are so many phoney distractions created by manufacturers to make money,

 

They have created a must have culture which supercedes any desire to stick with and be satisfied in using what you have and concentrate on getting the best out of the toy or the piece of hi-tech we have.

 

We are creating a never ending greed in our kids to get the best, the dearest and the newest of everything and this may work when the money is there but as soon as the money supply runs out it leaves them in state of failure.

 

This doesn't mean we shouldn't move on but how many times do we buy stuff and replace it with a poorer model, this goes for computers, programmes and all sorts of modern equipment we buy our children.

 

The emphasis is always put on getting the latest model whether it be deigner goods or toys which never fully satisfies the child as there is always another newer model on the horizon good or bad.

 

We cannot go back in time but I'm sure we could do more in schooling and parenting to teach our kids to be more interested in the world around us, not in the false icons and gizmos that are thrown at us on the tv and shops which in the end soon end up in the charity shops or landfills.

 

I hope this makes some sense and fids agreement.

 

PopT

Agree fully Pop.

 

When I grew tired of my Dinky, Spot-on, Corgi and Meccano toys I would put them away and head for the woods - or even the nearest hedgerow.

 

The amount of life scurrying around in there always fascinated me and my mates. We'd try to name the different spiders and beetles we found. We'd put insects into flower heads just so we could watch a bit of pollination going on. Stones of differing colours and textures were collected and identified at home later from a library book. When we grew tired of the wildlife amongst the leaves and grasses we'd head for the nearest pond and become mini Jaques Couseaus. When it rained so bad that even our industrial-strength duffle coats were useless we'd stay in and build something ... anything, then knock it down with something we'd made earlier.

 

Once we were bored we'd get the Dinky toys out again and pretend we were somewhere else. I even used to polish my toy cars with a small tin of purple wax polish my mum gave me.

 

Today I love nature. I understand nature. I respect those who want to care for it.

 

I even yearn for the return of those lazy days and the values that were held dear back then.

 

But only if I could be a kid again mind.