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We Have Ruined Childhood

nytimes.com

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Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#391

Post by ryanmercer »

code_duck wrote: post #179

This isn’t anything new. In my 90s middle school and high school, the official policy of my school was that we would have an hour of homework per academic class each day. We got out of school at 3:30. With 5 academic classes, a typical bedtime of 10 o’clock, commute times from school of half an hour, and an hour for dinner, that theoretically left zero time for recreation. I’m confused about how they ever thought tha…

I was class of 03, middle school and high school was NOTHING like that for me. I had maybe 45 minutes of homework a day, total, which I often got done in class at the end of the period or in my next class once I got done whatever I needed to in that class. Plus I had study center periods most of the time, instead of taking stupid electives that I had no interest in, which I'd usually spend reading for pleasure the entire time.

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#392

Post by bregma »

mieseratte wrote: post #382
Shivetya wrote: post #378

Government ruined child hood, in particular over zealous DFACs units have ruined parenthood as well to education where a child not being supervised is a child not enjoying themselves. Seriously, when did we come to the belief that children need structured activities all the time. Easy answer, when government employees stepped in. When politicians and government employees decided they knew better than parents or child…

> in particular over zealous DFACs units What does DFAC mean in this case? I assume it isn't "Dining Facilities."

[flagged]

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#393

Post by teddyuk »

Rotdhizon wrote: post #83

Seems like society is constantly pushing to remove all the ways in which kids used to live. Can't just wonder around and play on the sidewalks or the streets anymore with your friends, someone will call the police on you. Can't hang out in the woods, as those have mostly been torn down to make way for new neighborhoods, and the woods that do remain are typically private property. Unless you are lucky enough to live i…

I live in a village and there is a village face book group, literally an un-marked amazon delivery van needs to go through and someone will post "suspicious looking vehicle seen driving slowly and looking at each house" <-- roads with no house numbers, what else can delivery drivers do? ha ha

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#394

Post by mieseratte »

Scoutmaster wrote: post #35
mbrumlow wrote: post #3

I have a child. I love him very much. I can not fathom why any parents would not have free time as priority. Free time is amazing. Here is why. - I get a break. - My child gets to learn how to learn on his own. - My child builds independence. - My child learns to manage his time on his own. I see this playing out in the work force too. Far too many people I have worked with that are younger need to be told exactly wh…

What I've observed: they don't want any type of failure for their kids. I'm a Scoutmaster, and I have one parent who lashed out at me because I asked him not to interfere when the Scouts were trying to do something for themselves. I didn't let that affect me, I just thanked him for his feedback. Thankfully, I have the support of everyone else in the troop. What saddens me, is seeing first-hand how bad these parents a…

> I'm a Scoutmaster, and I have one parent who lashed out at me because I asked him not to interfere when the Scouts were trying to do something for themselves.

Anecdotally, there are entire Troops built around that type of parent. Tried BSA for a few years as a teenager, ended up in a group with a revolving door of Scoutmaster, as every time a child gained Eagle they and their parent would disappear. If you didn't have a parent actively pushing you through the badges and ranks, you were SOL.

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#395

Post by idoubtit »

chimpburger wrote: post #261
wizzard wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For much of this, we have over-involved, over-concerned mothers to thank (and a bunch of dads that think like moms). What a hateful, sexist notion to put in the middle of an otherwise articulate comment.

"Hateful" is such a corny overused word these days. Childish exaggeration.

Granted, "scornful and stupid" is a better description than "hateful". But "Childish exaggeration" is also an exaggeration. Next time you hear "I hate losers" (or "I hate XXX"), will you ridicule them for their overstatement, because they meant "I despise XXX"?

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#396

Post by geodel »

Though not strictly correct, I feel US rule is kids can't be free until they have their own car. And once they have that, parents must immediately lose their supervision privilege. Aren't there enough stories of outrage that parents get to see their kids' college transcripts without explicit permission.

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#397

Post by ryanmercer »

defterGoose wrote: post #67
nemo44x wrote: post #25

At least childhood runs well into your 30’s today.

I wish comments like this required an age verification to post. "You must be this crotchety to denigrate millenials."

I mean, I'm 34... after a friend's funeral I went to his brother's house a couple weeks ago. He had an entire room of action figures and vintage toys, another room full of emulator cabinets, pinball, pachinko (and he is NOT a tech type - he installs windows for a living on the road for weeks at a time).

My Facebook feed is almost constantly full of friends (and even my nephew in his mid 20's) posting cosplay photos at cons, photographs meeting artists/actors at cons, showing the comic book-related material they bought at cons, talking about comic book movies, talking about comic book movie panels at cons. Same in my IG feed.

Then, uh, look at Mixer, Twitch... lots of 20-40 year old people playing video games and D&D with small to massive followings.

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#398

Post by bregma »

honzzz wrote: post #306
Rotdhizon wrote: post #83

Seems like society is constantly pushing to remove all the ways in which kids used to live. Can't just wonder around and play on the sidewalks or the streets anymore with your friends, someone will call the police on you. Can't hang out in the woods, as those have mostly been torn down to make way for new neighborhoods, and the woods that do remain are typically private property. Unless you are lucky enough to live i…

>>> someone will call the police on you This may be a naive question but please bear with a non-US person - what would happen in the US if someone actually called police on you? Could you just say "these are my children and I think it is good for them to be unsupervised, good bye"?

> what would happen in the US if someone actually called police on you?

Most often, nothing. Police are usually out solving crimes, filling our paperwork, or harassing black men. Mostly they will roll their eyes at a nosy neighbour who can't mind their own business.

If they're called in because a child has been neglected or abused as a result of parental behaviour (violence, substance abuse), they are obliged to call in other agencies in the best interest of the children. It's unlikely a cop will consider being allowed to roam freely as a sign of abuse outside of a toddler in a soiled diaper walking down the middle of the freeway.

What brings in ratings on Fox News is not necessarily a reflection of reality.

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#399

Post by llukas »

9HZZRfNlpR wrote: post #380
johnisgood wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have built large parks/playgrounds for kids here in Eastern Europe, and we have upgraded most of our playgrounds. There are many of them. Kids can freely be kids here still. :) What is happening in the US is quite depressing to me. Your kid can be shot for having a toy that the cop perceives to be a gun. It is crazy! Things like that never happen here, even if that toy is a toy gun.

It doesn't happen that often, that's the point. People are afraid everything and everyone. We euros tend to forget how big USA really is. Of course all sort of shit happens.

EU has more citizens than USA and it is unthinkable that such thing would happen in EU.

Re: We Have Ruined Childhood

#400

Post by wincy »

microcolonel wrote: post #379
dmje wrote: post #293

You guys in the States have it bad. I hear terrible stories about the fear that now surrounds any kind of freedom for kids. Over here in the UK we’re a bit better, but the “give them exams ALL the time” and schools being on their knees, financially, are all too familiar. For me, this journey with my kids has been about a massive slew of things, among the most important: - extending their childhood where possible: enc…

> You guys in the States have it bad. I hear terrible stories about the fear that now surrounds any kind of freedom for kids. Over here in the UK we’re a bit better, but the “give them exams ALL the time” and schools being on their knees, financially, are all too familiar Of course, this is all because of lies and locked-in unintended consequences. The schools have no practical reason to be on their knees financially…

I got scolded by a gas station attendant for showing my daughter how to fill the gas tank. It’s really and truly ridiculous. A neighbor woman was angry that our neighbors dog was escaping so she threatened to call CPS since my four year old goes literally next door by herself. Malicious CPS reports like that are technically illegal but my God I don’t want to deal with such a thing.
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