Child comes home, flips on the flips on the tv. Toasts the waffle, spreads the peanut butter with a grim face. Ready for some 'fun.' But this isn't the fun that you and I know and have come to love.
I remember when fun used to be playing in the park, building a castle out of my sister's leftover girl scout cookie boxes. But not anymore, that is boring, a waste of time. I remember when being creative was fun thing to do.
Why is it, that when a child of today is asked whether they would like to game, they remark, 'Sure, what site?' Why is it, that when a child of today is asked what they want for dinner they say 'Nah, I already ate.'
I remember when it wasn't an option to eat dinner. 'You gunna eat what yo' mama gives ya!' But not anymore, you eat when you want, where you want.
I'm here to tell you that if this is what they're doing. What is going to happen to future America?? I am adressing this because THEY are future America. The only way to help them do what's right, is to tell them now. We are already too late.

So to help the future, we have to change the definition of 'fun.'

 

 

 

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I'm a little confused as to how the definition of fun affects how the children of today are going to be leaders of tomarrow, I am of course afraid of the future because of the way chilren today are raised and act; however, it's not because they think the computer is more fun than boxes, it's because they all seem to ignore the laws and make really unwise decisions. The difference between your generation and the generation of today is the time, the american culture has changed due to technology and many families don't have sit-down dinners with their families anymore, it's just the way it is, not good, not bad, just the way it is.

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I'm sorry to hear that! But I'm the youngest in my ring of siblings, and we never, ever, would think about eating dinner away from the family! And I barely play online games! Hey, but you can challenge them to a card game, and maybe your kids will get hooked! You can bring cards anywhere!

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I beg to differ. I feel that there is nothing wrong with children having fun on a computer. You are now judging their fun with your fun. But you lived in a age (or I am assuming so, if not, let's assume that's what you mean by box castles) where computers didn't play such a big role yet. Thus, there were many other things to occupy the minds of the young ones in that time.

But, this generation is still not like that. I know many people that isn't really a box-castle building type, and who plays online games. But that doesn't mean they don't have manners. That doesn't mean they aren't having fun. In fact, what you are insinuating is that they aren't having your type of fun. And that is a biased and unsubjective conclusion.

Granted, young people of today, even down to eight and nine-year olds, have computers to occupy them. But that doesn't mean its wrong. Just because they don't build castles out of boxes, doesn't make their version of "fun", less fun in their eyes.

Thus your last statement is invalid. I feel it is wrong to assume them to become "bad people" or whatever it is they are supposedly going to become because of the way they enjoy themselves. This seems more like the opinion of an older generation that cannot accept change.

 

 

 

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I don't think it's so much that the activities aren't fun for kids anymore... as that they're unavailable and kids don't grow up realizing they're fun. P.E. is being eliminated from public schools as we speak because all the education system cares about anymore is their precious test scores. Educators are cramming kids with homework to turn them into hard-working automatons by elementary school, and giving them workloads your parents would have flinched at if not run away crying from.

As a result of being worked like their parents, and pressured to get jobs to get ahead in the real world when not busy with school, kids are coming home absolutely exhausted and drained. They don't have the energy for sports, especially since they don't grow up with the physical activities their parents did. It's easier to get their fun from video games and the computer, which don't require physical energy.

What's more, take a look at the baseball fields in your city. Yeah, there's a lot of them, but they're only open to organized teams. Try to find one open in the spring or summer that's not chalked up for someone to play on. The only sports recognized now seem to be the organized team ones, and kids just aren't given room to play anymore. There aren't the vacant lots or unused baseball fields for them to use. And if lots are vacant, you can be sure owners have up "No Trespassing" signs and lawyers all too happy to sue kids and their families.

The team sports are as regimented and time consuming as any school activity. Kids can't just have fun anymore, it has to be structured, organized to a "T" fun.

It's not the kids that are failing America. It's America that's failing the kids.

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I think that, while there are different forms of "fun," some are, without a doubt, more creative than others. And I believe that these more active, creative pursuits in many ways are more worthwhile than passive entertainment. That doesn't mean that the computer can't be a method of active fun...many creative works could never have been born without a computer. But, for instance, watching trashy TV shows on the internet is probably not good for the mind. And it seems like people are more and more prone to this type of entertainment. I know that I've noticed in myself that when I choose to entertain myself by something creative which requires me to think, like working on one of my novels or programming a website, I feel better, both in during the process and afterward when I have something to show for the time I spent. When I choose to do something passive that lets my mind "mush," I feel empty and uninspired afterward. It's so much easier to pursue the latter form of entertainment, especially with current technology, and it may seem like it will be more fun, but in the end it doesn't seem to be worth much.

I agree that kids are being stressed out way too much. And I think that's probably part of why they don't choose active entertainment much; if you've spent you're whole day working, working, working; why would you want to "work" more in your free time? But active entertainment isn't work once you get into the flow. It just takes work getting there. But it is worth it.

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