You rarely have to look very far these days to find an example of somebody tearing down today’s kids for some perceived failing they have compared to kids in “our” day. Those of us who were paying attention when we were kids might be familiar with the concept – because when we were kids, we used to hear that we had those same failings, compared with kids of the previous generation. And the chain continues for as long as you’re prepared to go back; rest assured that your own grandparents were once the subject of some older people’s rants about “the children of today”. Maybe it’s time to break that chain, because being a kid is hard – and if you have doubts over that, let’s look at a few examples of how.
You’re always following someone else’s rules
When you think about it, everything you do as a kid is governed by what older people have said you can (and cannot) do. There are good reasons for this – the adults in charge at home and at school have the experience to make rules and (usually) have made them with kids’ safety and well-being in mind. But it’s unfair to expect a kid to understand matters as complex as safeguarding, and so sometimes those rules just seem like grown-ups telling you what to do.
People are always telling you how good things are for you
Too many of us adults are guilty of looking at the world kids inhabit today, and wishing we had had the chances today’s kids have. This can tend to lead to us lecturing kids who feel unfulfilled and frustrated. “You’re lucky. When I was a kid…” is never a good way to speak to a child. First of all, well done – you’ve discovered the concept of linear time. Your parents didn’t have the things you did. Your grandkids will have more options than your kids do. As often as not, they’ll just want to play with their RC creature Grrrumball and be left alone. But there is nothing wrong with a kid wanting more in their life, and this should be understood.
Kids now have all sorts of pressures we didn’t
This one depends on a certain amount on your age, but many present-day parents went to school in a time before cell phones and social media – or at least before these things became ever-present. As kids get older, the social scene they have to navigate becomes more and more thorny, and if you’re remembering your adolescence now, you’re probably thinking it was filled with awkward moments and things you’d love to take back. Now, imagine that those moments could be captured for posterity and shared far and wide. That’s one bullet a lot of us have to be glad we dodged.
Everything seems much longer to them than to us
Take a moment and Google “news + [today’s date, one year ago]”. Look at the news stories that come up, for things that happened 365 days ago. At least one of them will cause you to think “Really? That seems like it happened last week!”. As we get older, our perception of time changes because we’ve lived more seconds, minutes, days, and years. To a kid, waiting a week for something like Christmas feels like forever – and it’s hard to communicate to them that wishing time away is wasteful. They’ll know one day to savor every moment they have, but for now, give them a break if they complain about having to wait for something.
What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments below. I really would love to know.
Until next time, shine amongst the stars!
‘This post may contain affiliate links
If you haven’t made enough money blogging, look into taking the
Complete Guide to Make Money Blogging for only
($10, … WOW 95% Off for a limited time).
Be sure to update your Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc
Join our Facebook Group!
Clubhouse Daily Engagement Growth Pod
The main purpose of this group is to help bloggers, Influencers, or business owners increase their engagement through active participation and relevant group threads. I’m so excited to have you here and can’t wait for everyone to start connecting with each other!PS: Since this is still a small family, your support to add members would be highly appreciated. https://www.facebook.com/groups/clubhousedailyengagement
What a great post! I feel like I was lucky because when I was a kid, no smart phones/internet/social media was there! Hence I studied really well (no disturbance), passed with flying colors plus no one captured my embarrassing moments 😛 These kids are doing great 👌🏻❤️
Great post and I always love your posts 😉 I can relate to everything seems longer for the kiddos… as I remember that a summer break felt like a lifetime… and it was fun time for ever…. but as I have grown up the years go by faster and faster. Absolutely enjoyed stopping by and until next time 😉
Excellent points to keep in mind about being a child in this day and age. While being a child seems like so much fun compared to being an adult, they really do face many challenges.
Sometimes I think I forget how I was when I was a kid, so this post is a great reminder for me to support kids and remember how they actually are
I can’t imagine how much tougher it must be to be a kid now with technology and phones and social media x