I just came in from shovelling for hopefully the last time today.
More than likely, the last time in a while as I'm having my knee scoped on Friday. But I digress...
As I was out there, thinking to myself while trudging up and down my long walkway...there are no kids outside. None. School is closed today, so one would think there would be some kids around, outside of my own. And yet - there were none.
When I was younger, not only did I have to help my father shovel because he had a bad back -- but I used to go from house to house seeing if anyone wanted to pay to have their stairs, walkway and/or driveway shovelled. It was a way to make money, get exceptionally tired afterwards and truly enjoy the hot cup of hot chocolate, usually topped with fluff -- that my mother would have waiting for me.
Today's kids, don't shovel. They don't run outdoors at the first sign of snow to make extra money, or have snowball fights or make forts. Part of it is because we as parents, no longer let our children go unsupervised; it's an entirely different world today than it was back when I was a child. At the same time, I'm not talking about the 7 year old kids. I'm thinking more along the 10+ crowd, those who are old enough to venture up and down their streets to help their elderly neighbors - or the single mom, or whatever the dynamic is in the neighborhood.
Which leads me to wonder why. Why don't we see kids out and about helping their parents and/or others out on a snowy day. I can't help but blame today's generation of parents; I think we want so much for our kids to have more than we did, to enjoy life more than we did in ways we weren't able to -- that we're actually hindering our children. We're not allowing them to inspire to work hard and earn things. We're giving them everything and we in many ways are teaching them that you don't do anything without reward. Life doesn't really work that way; sometimes you do things because you just have to do them -- or because it's a good thing to do.
When I was younger, it was "because I'm the parent and I said so..". There was no negotiation, arguement or question. If your parents asked you to take out the trash, you did it. Begrudgingly, of course - but you did it. And it wasnt necessarily rewarded with an allowance. It was contributing to part of the family, which of course shouldn't necessarily warrant reward.
The inspiration to be entrepreneurs by making money shovelling for money - or setting up a lemonade stand is stifled by both the new world we live in, as well as the hypersupervision of parents.
As a result, I don't think we're doing our kids any favors for later in life.
3 comments:
All kids know these days are computers and video games. We didn't have that luxury growing up in the 70s and 80s. We helped our parents and neighbors alike with chores such as shoveling snow and mowing the lawn. Today's kids have it WAY to easy. They are a very lazy generation. Sad to say.
OMG...you hit the nail on this one! Now granted, I live in a condo - so I don't see a lot of this anyway. BUT, all of my friends in subdivisions say the same thing you do. And, I'm on your side with this....my brother and I used to do anything we could (in the 70's) to make extra cash around the neighborhood - shovel, lawn work, babysit, shop for the elderly neighbors...whatever. We offered - and wanted to earn the $$. Kids today, make allowances - so I guess they feel that they don't "need" to do anything else??
hmmmmm.....
I was *just* thinking the other day how we used to be able to play outside virtually unattended, even as far as being able to ride up & down my grandparents road (as long as we told her first). It's sad that kids don't have that luxury now, but I couldn't agree with you more: life is way too easy on them and I wonder how much of a disservice that will prove to be as they reach adulthood.
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