Dictionary.com defines “Childhood” as the state or period of being a child. To me, it has a deeper and a more powerful meaning to it than just being a child. At that specific period of time, a child’s personality is shaped to who they become when they’re grown up. Whether they turn into people who are fairly social, secretive, or many other traits that we find in ourselves and the people around us. Childhood has changed from one generation to another, and with every generation that passes I can’t help but feel sorry for the generations that are yet to come.
When I look back at my childhood… I see simplicity, beauty, innocence, and most of all... actual childish memories. I remember when cartoons were only showing on TV either in the morning or in the afternoon, and when we had to fight over the channels because some of us want to watch the girly cartoon shows while the boys would want to watch football cartoon shows. Yes, it was pretty annoying at that specific moment, but beneath it all there was something bigger than all of it, which was enjoyment. We used to enjoy those 30 minutes of watching our favorite cartoons and we had something to look forward to and anticipate for. While now, kids have around 10+ channels of cartoons of different tastes, varieties, from different countries that never stop or end.
Half of the kids nowadays don’t care if their favorite character is on TV, if they missed it they know that they are one click away from watching it online or downloading it. Doesn’t this somehow erase the feeling of excitement? The feeling of cherishing something when having it? The feeling of being thankful for something? I mean, I know I’m basing cartoon shows on a much bigger concept, but isn’t that where it all starts? We slowly tend to take everything we have for granted, and this trait continues to grow within us subconsciously.
Another idea that ran through my mind as I was writing this is the material that is being shown to kids as cartoons nowadays, I remember cartoons with a moral behind it… a story that will teach you how life is, a lesson to be learned and if it wasn’t all that then it was as simple as it revolved around sports which encouraged most boys to actually go out there, practice it, and try to be like their favorite character more. That is where the innocence took place in children’s minds. While now, all you see is a group of kids who are trying so hard to be something they’re not. A 6 year old would want to do things an 18 year old is doing and a 10 year old wants to copy something a 20 year old is doing. Take a minute and try to realize why that is? They have been staring at the screen for hours watching things that seem like characters, are colorful, and apparently have a funky music playing in the background… but have you taken the time to hear what those characters are saying? What they’re teaching your kids to do in a very crafty way? I bet not. As much as you would say that kids know that those are cartoons and it wouldn’t affect them, sadly it is not that simple with kids. As much as we would love to think that they grow up that easily in a scenario, and as much as we would want them to stay clueless in another scenario… kids are very smart and are aware of their surroundings very much.
Of course, by this blog post… I’m obviously not asking you to keep your kids in a box and not let them watch television. Instead of throwing your kids in front of a screen as you take the day off, try to take that time in knowing what you’re feeding your child’s brain that might have a higher impact on them negatively in the future.