Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Childhood Today - Stephanie Kang
Childhood in today's society is hectic and chaotic. Kids have more expectations for the future and many higher standards. Parents want their children to excel in everything from school, sports, and other activities. Of course, they are also expected to get into a decent college. In result, they do not have a true childhood. Pressure and stress replace the fun kids are supposed to have. It hinders them from experiencing the genuine joy of childhood to its fullest. Our society today causes the loss of innocence and the carfree nature of children.
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I totally agree that we lose something, a whole lot of something, when our lives become so busy and so expeted. I have often lamented at the loss of innocence of just enjoying a weekend or even the Summer. Several people I know took extra classes over Summer to skip a year in high school. I cannot understand them. Why would you throw an entire year away of free time and also a year of experiences in high school just to get ahead faster in the world. It is not worth it to me.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this is untrue. I find that my childhood and teenage youth was full of erratic choices, unnecessary outings, a mess of mistakes, unwarranted outcomes, with doses and ounces of liberation. Yet I managed to be productive as well. I took extra classes because I enjoyed these extra classes. I'm currently ahead 10 credits in high school; I would have been able to take only 3 classes this year, but I chose to stay in 6. I committed myself to art and film and books these 4 past years. And in my childhood well I don't really remember anything before 5th grade, but from what pictures tell me, they seemed fruitful and imaginary as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, we definitely have pounds and pounds of pressure over our shoulders especially the kids who are the first generation of their last name to attend a University. We have to keep our 4.0 grade average, excel in sports, or science, or mathematics, or the arts, and expected to be the most lovable well brought up popular kids. One way or another were driven and pushed. But these pushes and exertions are valuable habits. Parents and adults are only teaching their offsprings what they need not to do, and head for the touch down or the home run. I don't know. But really, all the wild rides I went through were fantastic memories, fanatical excursions, intense emotions running up and down the blood veins and all that pizzaz. I try to limit the bad times, and believe me there were plenty of those for me growing up, but like my mother taught me is to stay optimistic, and what my dad taught me is to be level headed and be ambitious. Get a head in the world, do something for it, and have a well ran life. And even then parents and adults can't dictate your own life, they can only help you steer it. I guess this what I presume to believe.
Like Oscar Wilde said, " I have put my genius into my life, whereas all I have put into my work is my talent"
-Elish