how does childhood in the present day differ from that of earlier generations?

Answer 1

well im 25 and childhood seems different even to me
nowadays we are more concerned about other people in society, with reports in the papers about paedophiles rapes and killings

our children are less active dont learn to ride bikes as early as we did before and dont play out with other children as much and learn to play as a team ar be a leader or follower, using their imagination more, nowadays boredom is seen as a bad thing but years ago when there werent any computers and kids shows on tv all day and night kids had to think what to play how they could amuse themselves... making go carts with their dads out of old pram wheels and bits of wood..... tying a rope around the back of a bike and someone on roller skates holding the other end of it and being pulled along, when they do this they learn about teamwork and trust and even a little about building and engineering testing and modifying things to make it better or safer

kids dont have to think about what to do , they get a game out put it in the computer and press play thats it!!!

its a real shame because i dont think my kids have as much fun as i did as a kid as much as i try and get them out doors they love their ps2 and cant wait to watch the simpsons when its on

they also are too grown up for their own good ,they think at 8 they arent kids anymore when that exactly what they are, when i was 8 i didnt know what gay meant and wasnt thinking about boyfriends and kissing and sex i was probably still playing with barbie dolls!! lol
kids dress and act way too old for their age and they dont realise it till its too late,if they ever realise it.

kids arent kids for long enough these days! :(

Answer 2

IAs far as I can see, childhood is shorter and not half as much fun.

When i was young the peer pressure was nearly non existent, adults were adults and kids were kids now it seems kids are just tiny replicates of adults. Its a shame really, not being allowed to play football in the street or climb trees. Parents are too afraid to let their kids wander too far and those that do get slated anyway. Also kids today know too much about things they don't need to know anything about till they are older.

I am not quite sure who's fault it is but it is a shame. I feel sorry for the kids of today with all the restrictions and what is expected off them. We were just kids, we didn't care about world wide problems, or terrorism and we didn't have the police chasing our behinds for every little thing, we got up to.

Only time will tell the effect this will all have and what kind of adults today's kids will grow into. We should be wary of government control and interfering it never does any good.

Answer 3

Children today are often dubbed as being part of the "Millennial" generation, which loosely covers people born from 1982 through 2002. Different from so-called "Generation X," milliennials are more in touch with the same values of their families, are goal-driven, are generally "wanted" (i.e. artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization aren't done by people who DON'T want kids, and AI has become a popular way to get pregnant), are techno-savvy, and have high ambitions to change the world for the better.

Interesting thing to check out is the Beloit Mindset for the college class of 2010. It's interesting to read that and realize what world these students grew up in.

Answer 4

years ago the only thing children could do is play games in the street. kids made their own entertainment.
money was far more scarce and sweets and chocolate were a treat.

i was born in 1970, my dad worked 16 hours a day to keep 4of us and my mum.

we never had luxuries like chocolate biscuits or 3 0r 4 different cereals to chose from.
we played with plastic dolls that we pretended were babies.

now my 3year old great niece pics up a doll and the first thing she does is looks for a button or switch to see what it will do.

the greatest difference is technology and cheaper goods.
everything now has a mini computer inside it.
i remember the video coming out as a child and we travelled miles for a rental shop because tapes weren't in shops to buy.

now you can download them onto a tiny screen and watch stuff anywhere, it's great.

but i wonder how much further technology can go. if we keep progressing at the rate we are. the future is going to be very technical.
i have to keep showing my elderly mum how to use her sky tv.

in a few years time my kids will probably get frustrated because i cant understand how to use my holographic system. who knows!

Answer 5

The main difference is the BOREDOM THRESHOLD. Another difference is the comparative poverty and affluence of the two generations.

Earlier generations of kids made their own amusement.

Today's kids have to be, taken to school, sat down in front of a computer or TV screen, bought the latest fashion gear, taken to Theme Parks to keep them occupied and constantly supplied with sweets, junk food and 'loadsa' money. The latest Hi-fi, CD player, iPod Gameboys are a must and and they demand to be constantly ENTERTAINED. Failure of any parent to do so will elicit the very wearing phrase, "I'm bored."

In short the word INITIATIVE is missing from their vocabulary.

I concede the above is a generalisation and there are exceptions.

Answer 6

Having looked at the other answers, I'd like to add that more children of past generations lived in a stable traditional family unit of two married parents, one of each sex, who stayed together throughout their lives. There were also usually other family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles etc) living close by, so that the child had a fairly large group of adults to act as role models and additional carers. I know there were exceptions, of course, but I believe this was the general rule.

Answer 7

In earlier generations, children entertained themselves by playing outside: riding bikes, playing sports, swimming. Later generations became almost dependent on technology. Children now spend all their time on the computer, watching t.v., or playing videogames. It's very rare you walk outside and see children playing and laughing in the street anymore. The child obesity level has increased dramatically in the past few years, as schools don't emphasise physical activity as much as they used to. Parents have become more leniant, also. Years ago, a kid would have gotten in severe trouble for staying out past curfew. Now, parents pat their kid on the back, and tell them it's fine.

Answer 8

well i was born in the 60s and as a kid we went out to play all the time, had mini adventures every day during school holidays, done jobs to earn pocket money, had respect for our elders... sure we were naughty at times too.. But todays kids are mostly spoilt rotten and get away with way too much, they dont seem to do much apart from playing video games, riding quads in public places and hanging around looking for trouble.. i don't blame the kids though, its the parents for not teaching them proper values and local councils for not providing youth centres and the police for being too soft, in my day a policeman would hit you if he caught you doing something wrong and boy it made you think twice before doing it again.

Answer 9

The world was a safer place to a large degree years ago, as kids we were able to play in the fields and woods without fear of being molested or abducted.....we didn't have sophisticated toys and mainly played using our imaginations or made things out of discarded boxes.......I don't think the toys children have today stretch their imaginations or allows them to develop ideas.......Lego and Meccanno helped kids to learn about construction, where are tomorrows architects and engineers going to come from?

Answer 10

this generation is all about the computer and instant access to lots of information, children kow more about computers and how to operate them than the adults [in general] i for one can look to my 11 year old neice for help operating the computer, she shows me things i never thought possible
my generation [ born in the 40's' did all our learning from the library, no calulator's but pen and pencil, both generations are good but we played on playgrounds or board games and now most games on played online ..