Originally posted by Anonymous ATS

"Heck I am leary of even letting my kids go to school let alone go outside by themselves. Kids these days not only have to worry about strangers,"

This is a bit of a myth, the danger from strangers is actually not much worse than it has been for 60 or more years, and this is way more eclipsed by the chances of someone in your family or a friend being the problem, that is far far more likely.

By keeping them inside you doom them to a life filled with illness. Suggestion: go outside and watch them, the sun is good for you too.

Originally posted by Ant4AU
The games of today are better and they may stimulate the brian more, but it still is no replacement from the outside enjoyment of youth. I can remeber when if i was in the house for more than thirty or so minutes it better be because I was eating or using the bathroom. Witch was alright with me because I loved it outside. Climbing trees building forts swimming do the things that you know if momma seen you dowould have your ass kicked. But parents are worried these days not just about some one taking their children, they also worry about them getting hurt. A skint knee now a days means your inside for the rest of the day. When I skint as long as it quit bleeding I would stay outside. I also believe it is because kids today for some reason can manipulate their parents better than we ever could. What happend to the day when any adult saw you do something wrong and they would get on to you. Parents these days do not like any one other than them getting on to their kids. They get mad and wander what the hell you are doing. It might be because of how long I have been around young kids, but I can't help it I see a kid do something wrong I will scold them before I even realize it.

I did a research project on this in grad school and what I found might just amaze you. The video games although they do stimulate some mental awareness's actually cause more mental damage than they do good. It has been proven that visual focus and peripheral vision suffers the most, but it also creates a mental singular focus which makes awareness of outside stimuli much more difficult to recognize and react to, which in itself could have damning effects in life. Also studies suggest that it causes long term damage to the eyes and most of our youth will wind up either wearing glasses or needing corrective surgery because of it, just watch throughout your lifetime at the amount of people you know whom will need visual corrections be it; glasses, contacts, or surgery far before it would be considered typical to need these visual aids and corrective proceedures.

[edit on 11/26/2008 by DarrylGalasso]

Makes me proud to have played outside when I was younger, but I also loved watching cartoons, drawing, playing with toys, and videogames. I grew up in the 90s just to mention. I loved doing all of those things as a kid, especially going outside to catch bugs and the stuff young boys did around that age.

Perhaps it has something to do with the generation's parents these days. Maybe they are too laid back? I don't know, but if all the kid's do is watch tv and do games, then they are missing out on the outdoor fun.

I will definitely keep this in mind for when I have children. I guess sometimes, people just slip into the technology world that the old methods are just , out of date to them. Kinda like....cassette tape to CD and the like. It just shifts out.

So parents out there, if your kids are indoors all day, get them some outdoor activities and have fun!

i believe that children these days are way too plugged into the digital world, and not in a way that helps them or society. my brother spends umpteen hours on the xbox a week, and living in the northern hemesphere, there is not that much to do in the winter, in the city. recent studies show the difference in age, gender, and social status greatly effect which games kids are playing, keep that in mind next time your younger brother or sister asks for one

When I was a kid I was outside all the time! Rain, sun, snow, it didn't matter. My friends and I caught bugs, climbed trees, dredged creatures out of ditches, rode horses and bikes, went to the pizza joint, etc.. I can't help but think this is better than sitting inside for hour on end, looking at a screen.

Just the other day, I was shopping at the Evil Empire that starts with W. A woman said something to her kid, who looked about 13 years old. He walked off and returned carrying a bag of, what I guessed to be, potting soil. He was holding it away from his body at least 12 inches, with one hand on each corner like it was a bag of something rotten and nasty. (Ooo! Yuky dirt!) This also gave him a waddling gait since he was so unbalanced. He looked pathetic. I couldn't help but wonder if he was afraid of the dirt in the bag, or just didn't know how to carry an object. when I was his age, I could put a 50 pound bag of horse food on my shoulder and carry it. The bag weighed more than 50 percent of my weight. Seriously, I think we are doomed if he is an example of young people today.

I don't have kids, but if I did, I would get them a dog and send them outside to play. A big imposing dog. Not a vicious dog, but one that makes some weirdo think he should do his hunting somewhere else. Your friendly neighborhood molester is going to think twice if a formidable looking canine is standing between him and a kid.

When I was a kid, my group of friends rode horses and had dogs with us all the time. Occasionally, we would ride on fairly unpopulated county roads, but never had anything strange happen. There was a high level of weirdness going on in the area at that time too with some, as of yet, unresolved murders of girls and women. (Google I-45 murders)

I grow up in the 80's. My father grow up in the 50's. so i see where u are coming from. So i was always told to go out and play. My father never got us any video games. He just got his self a computer a few year ago. But i look at kids now days and see what you see. Just because my father raised he as if was the 60's. I think the reason is that parent dont talk to there kid or play with them anymore. We use to play football on the streets and my dad would always come out there and play with us. My father has heart Problem. But he still came out there and played a few times later that night he would have a heart attack. But the point is that my father hurt himself to show us what fun is about. Only if nower day parents would do something like that I think it would change a childs life.

I grew up in the forest literally as it surrounded our house and almost never went indoors. I still get my niece and nephew and go swimming in the "swimming hole" where kids have played way before my parents were born. They also get to go with me to the many great National Parks in the area to hike and swim. It is as others said the parents that do not take the time to teach children about the outdoors and let down their hair to play too.



[edit on 26/12/2008 by toochaos4u]

Honestly, I'm sorry to say but today is not the same as it was when I was growing up.
I'm not saying that the pedophiles, abductions, and the like is more plentiful or less.
I'm saying America lost America.

I remember when I was a kid I could not do a damn thing without my parents finding out I did it. The neighborhood was clean, and safe because the neighbors watched out for each other. We never had to lock our front door when I was kid.
Now if you don't you might as well put a Free Stuff sign out front.

We lost what made us great back then. I'm not sure if we can ever get that back. The internet has made our lives easier in many ways, but it also has brought America farther apart from one another.
Now you can hold conversations with people half way around the world without saying a word.
I moved into my house about 2 yrs ago now. I only know 2 sets of neighbors and don't remember either of their names. I do admit my memory sux lately, but when I grew up you always said the person's name you were speaking to. Now it's hey you or just hey.

I don't even think they rememeber my name. The one has borrowed my jumber cables so often I was beginning to think they were his. But never once'd used my name when asking for them.
My name is so easy to remember that I find it hard that he could forget. It's a famous/infamous name that it's impossible to forget.

While technology and fast food are the main things to blame on the lack of physical activity in todays youth...I believe it is the parents job to enforce some type of inspiration on the kids to do such activities.

I still see many pre-teens outside playing. The 13-16/17 age group is filled with computer and electronic users (nothing bad with that), and now once a kid hits 16 or 17 its time to start looking for work.

Pair school, and work together, and a kid might just want to chill at ones house on an off day

Now to assemble the "perfect" kid.
School. Work. Relationship. Working out/going outside playing a sport.

The impression a kid gets throughout his or her education all of its life is like this.
"Do not ever miss school, take hard classes and get A's or you woulnt get into a good college".

"If you do not go to college, you will go nowhere in life".

"Once in college, you must ace everything to be on top to ensure you will be able to get a job once you graduate".

While exaggerated a bit, it is somewhat true. I do not know what type of children you are messing with, but most are pretty busy.

To the OP:

I can understand. Granted, I am a child of the entertainment generation. I grew up on the dawn of new age video gaming systems and a new cell phone every month or two. It seems that everything becomes obsolete as soon as you obtain them. Frankly, it's enough to make you pull your hair out.

I still make sure I get out though. My family instilled in me the understanding that you can't dwell in a cave. I am doing the same with my children now. They can have their computers and video games, but they need to know what it feels like to hit a baseball or ride a bike, too.

It all comes down to how willing the parents of today are to do their jobs.

I grew up building jumps for my bike,playing in the rivers,and customizing fireworks for the big boom. I don't think that there was a time that I wanted to be inside. I would stay outside with all my friends until 3 in the morning sometimes. We would build treehouses and stuff, basically the typical kid childhood.

I've noticed that that's pretty much a thing of the past. Kids are more prone to the x-boxes and the computers. Were going to have a paler generation for sure. Lacking of the vitamin D!

I often find it funny now, as an adult, to talk about our childhood explorations...now that I can't get in any trouble for them...

You see, we often lived on military compounds, and had to come up with inventive ways to get out of the grounds and "play"...

Sure, we had a pool and all kinds of things, playgrounds, in the compound...but that hardly compared to going out in the Alaskan wilderness, or visiting the nearby Saudi bedouin camp, hehe....

The look of terror on my mother's face is priceless in these recaps...

We'd faced Kodiak bears, desert dogs, and fierce Arabs with scimitars (yes, they actually had swords...not guns...yet still had a generator and a Toyota pickup...go figure).... It's actually pretty amazing we're still here....

Luckily, we were fast, good climbers, and experts at hiding....

I have a question to the older generations participating in this thread. I am not doing this as a rhetorical question but a serious one.

Are YOU all to blame for this "lost" America? It is your generation that produced the so called "lost" one you all are dying to insult.

To note - I would do many fun things such as walk the creek for miles, play manhunt at night, sports with friends etc. All of my "neighborhood friends" parted ways in respect of this manner.

The following activities are I guess considered more "childish", even though they still sound fun. Could the increased education children today mature them quicker past this stage of life?

I hope I get some serious answers!!