What are we getting up to today?
There are so many things today that are influencing the way in which our youth view themselves, how they act, what they do and who they choose to become..
In my blog, i want to talk about how the young people of today are trying so hard to be older than they are, wanting to experience everything earlier than what they're emotionally ready for.Basically, growing up too fast!
Only a few years ago, i was in the early years of high school.After school and in the weekends, you'd find me hanging out with my friends.Going to the movies, camping in the backyard, making crafts,riding bikes all that cool fun stuff that everyone around my age did for fun. I didn't start to wear make-up until i was 16.Boys weren't really that big of a deal for me until a couple of years ago, and the only parties i went to were my family barbeques. But, my gosh how things have changed!.I'm in my first year of university, and i have a little brother who is in his first year of high school.The things that he knows about at his age just astounds and shocks me. He's only 13 and yet he knows so much more about sex than i did at his age, probably more than i do now.Which i s so disturbing to me because he is my little brother.Showing me his Bebo profile, i see many of his friends are girls his age and in their profile pictures they're dressing even more suggestively than i do! Honestly, when i was his age relationships and all that boy/girl stuff was the furtherest thing from my mind.The recreational choices of our pre-teens today are miles and miles away from what they used to be when i was growing up. With this generation being brought up in a technology savvy era. Our children are constantly being bombarded with different lifestyle messages everyday, with mostly all of them coming from the media, celebrities, favourite tv/movie/sports stars. With so many new reality tv shows being documented on the lives of famous celebrities, the children of this generation are basically being raised with the ideals taken from these peoples lives..
9 comments:
Exactly!
I totally agree with what you are saying in your blog. I myself have two younger sisters and sometimes wonder how they have discovered so much at such a young age?
There is alot of potential in this topic.
I have a 13 year old 1/2 sister that recently added me on bebo and the things I read on her bebo page were... distressing to say the least(even worse as I only met her once and she was about 3 years old...).
You should read Maria's blog in my iwrite group. Hers is about sex ed in schools,
I'm sure you could both exchange alot of constructive opinion on these issues!
Excellent topic. I think the internet has the capabilities of destroying young minds without some form of monitoring(man, I sound old, haha).
Hi Melissa,
I agree that some kids seem to be growing up faster now than they may previously have, although there have always been a few who appear ahead of the others. I think one of the difficulties for parents now in controlling this is the advances in technology as you mentioned - ours kids have easy access to texting, emailing, etc, that we didn’t. These mediums mean parental knowledge of who kids are communicating with and what they are doing, is easily bypassed unless parents are super vigilant. I also agree that the messages in the media and advertising, as you suggest, influence kids. I remember a while ago there was an uproar over young girls’ clothing that carried semi-promiscuous themed messages. Personally I don’t like seeing girls dressed like this and I often think they or their parents don’t consider that messages are being sent to others who judge them on how they look or act, which can make them vulnerable.
Mate couldn't agree more
Some parents need their heads read, but in all honesty you are right the media bombards them from day one, saying to them they need this and that to be cool or liked. And then whats with all the violent games and so much time on the computer and Internet porn you have to ask yourself who is raising these kids.
I am so glad i was a teenager in the eighties when we would ride our bikes go fishing, camping and play sports, not to say we were innocent but i think there is a definite difference between the two generations. As you say this is a technology savvy era and has had a huge impact on the way we live life.
Don't even get me started on American celebrities think we should just shoot them all now,
I cant understand our fascination with those bunch of crack heads who think they are good roll models and have no sense of commitment, or marriage, or self respect. We would do better
to follow the lead of sports people like Tiger Woods.
I think sports, youth groups, cadet forces(to name a few) is a great way to unite kids and install some boundary's in their life and be a positive voice to them.
At the end of the day though, the parents need to step up and be the dominating factor in their children's life. If they don't step up then they forfeit the right and hand it over too the fake and plastic material driven world we live in. (of course some rise above).
Hey
Being the yongest of three siblings i guess it is a bit hard for me to relate to what you are saying about your brother, however it is obvious to (from looking at others) that kids are indeed growing up to fast.
I think its easy to blame the media for this sort of thing.....so I will!! I guess its ultimately all about money is it not? Getting kids to buy make up at younger age means more profit and more money.
However Is this not just a fact of life? im sure our parents wouldn't have done half the things we (20ish year old's) are doing, the same can be said for our grandparents and there children (our parents). Maybe the human race as a species has been supressed for who knows long, and is only now finally reaching what is a "natural" age for doing these sortsof things, while i dont believe what i just said is necessarily true, it is a point of view that some might take!
I also hold the same views with yours! I am aonly child in my family, so I know these things a little bit late. And the development of them are going too far. In some cases, the development of media has become a kinkd of sad. Too much freedom and license cause children too early enter to adult world. They even can not completely distinguish between right and wrong when they face to these things. Blindly accepted that is not cause them to mature, but also can not keep their "naive" childhood.
Thanks everyone for your views on this topic, with what hayden said about it being about the money is very true!that never actually crossed my mind.lol.But it definetly makes sense.
I also agree with what you said about the human race being suppressed for a long time and only now reaching the 'natural' age for doing these things.
i reckon technology is the defining difference in why the past generations generally did not act so adultish so young.
Many pre-teens have mobile phones, access to internet, email, and networking sites.Exposing them to the adult behaviour. Whereas in our parents and grandparents generation, had nothing of the sort leaving their parents to be their real role models and models of how they should live.
Also nowadays, it is very common for both parents to be working full-time.Leaving the children to spend most of their time with their friends, watching tv or on the internet. Children only copy the behaviours of what they see, when the parents are absent then the children will turn to the next best thing.
In conclusion, whatever the children are surrounded in, are going to influence how they behave.
Great topic melissa...
I am absolutely agree with you all and as you said i think this is because of technology. what i heard from my parents and grandparents is when they were young they satisfied just talking friends hours and hours or listening radio together would be really interesting is well and these kind of very simple things but nowadays teenager looking for different thing that should not be worried in their age.
i have this friend her son is just 8 year old and have his own facebook account! i was shocked when i saw him adding me..
Hi
I think the reason of changing children behaviours is related to the changing our society.
Now teenagers can get many informations from an internet or television, it didn't happen at long time ago.
we can't stay in the past time, now days can be the future viewing of our parents or grandparents.
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