I was having dinner with my adult (20-something) kids last night, when my youngest surprised me with a question out of no where: would I rather grow up when I did, in the 1970s and 1980s, or now? My initial thought was that I only know what I experienced, but I then quickly followed up with my answer, that I would prefer growing up when I did.
My son’s answer to his own question was the same, saying he thought that I grew up in simpler times. We agreed, stating things such as cell phones (and always being on them), social media, climate change, etc., can seem a bit overwhelming at times for kids now. Granted, there were plenty of social issues and problems back in the 1970s and 1980s as well – it’s not like it was an idyllic time, free of stress – but I think the biggest difference of having less screen time and more real world time is pretty significant. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not forgetting that I spent plenty of time watching The Brady Bunch, Good Times, The Justice League, Tom & Jerry cartoons, and so much more … but I also spent a lot more time outside, without structure, without playdates, without supervision.
Here’s a funny thought – at some point as an elementary school kid, an older friend convinced me that it would be fun to collect beer cans, and we’d go down to a local public area and wander through the ditch on the side of the road looking for empty beer cans tossed out by people who had parked their cars there the night before. Can you imagine a parent today letting their 11 year old kid wander unsupervised in a ditch looking for empty beer cans? And bringing them home and stacking them up as a collection?