It just amazes me the difference between todays kids and the ones back in the 70's. Back when I was growing up you were always told to go outside and play. If you had an Atari you were lucky, most of the time you played with a hackysack, jump rope or took chalk and drew a hopscotch on the driveway to play on. Oh, and those wonderful paddle balls...I swear I would get one of those every year in my Easter basket. You were just expected to find things to entertain yourself by using your imagination.
Not today,....it amazes me how the kids today EXPECT to be given every electronic toy on the market. It starts off with a stereo, then they want a walkman, after a little while they want an IPOD. And dont think a 19" TV is ok..oh no, they want a 32"...and not a normal one...it has to be a plasma or LCD TV. And we cant forget a computer. Most want a laptop, god forbid if you have this big bulky machine for them, its all about style. Oh, and what about cell phones? I swear they cant live without them. However, if you ever try to call them on it they dont answer. They will talk to everyone except the parents! And it cant be just a free phone that you get with the plan, it has to have a speaker, camera etc.. Better yet, it has to be a razor phone or whatever has the coolest look.
So when did all of this change? Why did we let it? If we grew up without these things, then why do we allow our kids to have everything that they want? Shouldn't there be a limit? We dont expect them to think for themselves anymore. Do we give them these things to make them happy or are we doing it so they arent bugging us to do things with them. Lets face it, in todays society, both parents are working full time jobs and its not a typical 8 hour day anymore. With commuting and all that companies expect out of you, its easy to have a good 10-12 hours in each day. So when you get home, you are tired and just want to relax. Where have the family values gone? Are we letting all of the electronics ruin quality family time? Its like that song, "Cats in the Craddle". When the kids are all grown up they wont find time for us parents because we didn't make the time with them when they were younger.
