Generation Z – No Childhood?
Yesterday me and my friends having a mini gathering in one of our famous mamak restaurant. Yes, we all are born in 70s, which is also called Generation Y. When the topic of “childhood” came up, we all have so many stories to share that we can talk until the cows come home.
Catching fish at drain behind the house, play guli (marbles), carry tang long (lantern) and walk around neighbourhood and play masak during Mid Autumn Festival, play under the rain, “Pao Fu” (Thiania subopressa) fighting, the best part is to catch them in the wild first.
These are just some of the many childhood memories that we talked. Then I asked my friends does your child having the same childhood as we do? Some say probably they don’t even have childhood.
Drain behind house is polluted; when it’s raining first thing you do is to get them inside the house; "Pao Fu" nowhere to be found; carry lantern walk around neighbourhood, risk of kidnapping! During Mid Autumn Festival, the most is to let your child play candles in the area where you park your car, with the main gate locked (most important).
So what is the childhood for Generation Z? Ipad, tablets, smart phone games, PlayStation?
There’s got to be something better than these, right?
It is truly sad. My 8 yr old nephew spends his weekends staring at his ipad....it is literally the only thing he does when not at school or doing his homework.
He does not even interact with friends after school, let along hang out with them and enjoy playground games.
Yeah.. my daughter is in kindergarden. We obsverved who's my daughter's best friends and we take the opportunity to make friend with their parents. Since we all stay nearby, we usually send my daughter to her best friend house to play for few hours. and so do the other parents sending their kids to my house to play with my daughter.
I so agree with you. I also agree many times gadgets did help parents to sit there relax awhile although it is not THE way. So to me balance is the key. Sometimes gadget, sometimes bubbles, sometimes scooter, sometimes playground, sometimes TV. etc. Wish us all the best who parent the Generation Z. :)
When we are young, we will initiate the friendship in the neighbourhood ourselves. Now, parents need to initiate by making friends with children's best friend parents.
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