Jul 16, 2007

Generation GAP!!



God, I am already feeling OLD, and I am just 21!!!

Don’t be shocked by this line, if you have a sibling or know a ‘kid’, around you, who is say between 9-12 years of age, you would know what I am talking about! Kids today (at least that is what I still would like to call them) are growing up much faster than their peers, or even we did, a couple of years ago.
Right from freaking out at movie halls and malls in the 7th Std, to going to Birthday Parties at Pizza Huts in 3rd Std, kids today are in an even bigger and faster hurry to become adults. Imagine this; a 5th grader carries a sleeker cell phone than my mom to school! and a 8th grader comes to school after streaking her hair!!!

Being a witness to my 11 year old cousin’s growing up years is becoming more of a ‘Oh-My-God-What-has-this-come-to’ than a ‘we-were-like-this-only’!!! After all the pool parties, she has gone too (I have just been to one!!) and the sort of fashion trends and style icons her classmates follow, and idolise, more than be angry, I pity them! They have no childhood to speak of! They are obsessed with weight loss, know all the difference between mascara and eyeliners, and are this short of learning about the birds and bees!!!
Thankfully, my cousin is a li’l brat who is not that hard core into this crazy stuff, (although, I was the only one who saw Charlie and the Choclate factory, at her bday party, while the 'kids' preferred to discuss saif-bipasha liasion!!!) And they are all perfectly prepared to become those factory models – the sort, you know, with straight hair, a 15” waist, make-up even in the gym and wearing the same sort of clothes- the one some hi-fi gal wore at a page 3 party last night!! I mean give me a break, they are small young innocent minds that need not know that 52 kgs is the perfect weight when your height is 5’2, but who need to know that the world is made up of more species than just the human being, and that life doesn’t treat you differently, just because you happen to wear a certain brand of clothes or that it is certainly OK if you do not fit in with a certain crowd, and that your self respect is more important than being the most popular girl in class!!!

Yes, I know the immediate next reaction to this argument is, that it is the ill effect of the media…. But hey, even we grew up when there was the media, and we didn’t turn out that bad!! Yes, they are influenced, and media is not the best of teacher of moral values and anything remotely related, but people cannot sit at one place and blame a certain entity, for spoiling the future of the kids!! I guess it’s very important that the parents and guardians take it upon themselves to teach their kids, how to think!! Yes, this is what we are missing today, we teach them values, we expect them to follow it… rather than making them understand as to why a certain thing is important or what is the effect of a certain thing, and then there is also the fact that we as a society refuse to see beyond the superficial. It’s when we stop making comments and wasting so much of our time, discussing Abhi-Ash weddings, and Paris Hilton’s Jail Stints (aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!) as if our economic future depended on it, that we can actually ask our kids to take a different outlook towards the whole situation!

Maybe its easier said than done, and I am in certainly no mood or in a hurry to give a try to parenting (lest you ask: P) but a look at the kids around, and I get a feeling to write this! Especially, as a previous volunteer with kids, and the way I see 11yr olds going about their life, these days, I am scared she and kids like her, don’t turn out to be Paris or Britney or Posh Spice!!!


18 comments:

PURN!MA said...

Yeah, I agree to most of what u have written there. The kids (or shud i call them young adults??) know about everything that they needn't know at a certain age. Damn!! They give u complex at times.

Gone are the days when we buried our heads reading nancy drews n famous five during our vacations. Now they r orkutting, chatting n know abt every gadget that enters the market!!!

Must admit kids nads are a lot smarter than we were at their age! :(

PURN!MA said...

Yeah, I agree to most of what u have written there. The kids (or shud i call them young adults??) know about everything that they needn't know at a certain age. Damn!! They give u complex at times.

Gone are the days when we buried our heads reading nancy drews n famous five during our vacations. Now they r orkutting, chatting n know abt every gadget that enters the market!!!

Must admit kids nads are a lot smarter than we were at their age! :(

PURN!MA said...

Yeah, I agree to most of what u have written there. The kids (or shud i call them young adults??) know about everything that they needn't know at a certain age. Damn!! They give u complex at times.

Gone are the days when we buried our heads reading nancy drews n famous five during our vacations. Now they r orkutting, chatting n know abt every gadget that enters the market!!!

Must admit kids nads are a lot smarter than we were at their age! :(

Ajan said...

Hehehe! yea. Wonder how their kids would become and I wonder what our parents thought when we grew up in such a time when there were many changes taking place everywhere..

@purnima..
they are kinda smarter rey.. but they wont be havin nethin to talk abt wen they grow up na.. :( my skool used to take us on a lot o picnics and all..now it stopped..they take the kids to the coke factory or sometimes nowhere.. :(

Ajan said...

Hehehe! yea. Wonder how their kids would become and I wonder what our parents thought when we grew up in such a time when there were many changes taking place everywhere..

@purnima..
they are kinda smarter rey.. but they wont be havin nethin to talk abt wen they grow up na.. :( my skool used to take us on a lot o picnics and all..now it stopped..they take the kids to the coke factory or sometimes nowhere.. :(

Ajan said...

Hehehe! yea. Wonder how their kids would become and I wonder what our parents thought when we grew up in such a time when there were many changes taking place everywhere..

@purnima..
they are kinda smarter rey.. but they wont be havin nethin to talk abt wen they grow up na.. :( my skool used to take us on a lot o picnics and all..now it stopped..they take the kids to the coke factory or sometimes nowhere.. :(

abhai2k said...

I must say this is something i have to face everyday. Being a tech savvy guy etc i am shocked in seeing kids half my age actually being experts handling complex gadgets when i and other ppl my age struggle to get the damn thing on. But i seriously think they are missing out on the solid not so techie life we guys had. Come getting stood up by your date etc cause he/she was not able to reach you on your land-line( Yeah they still exist too ... its those phones with wires in your home remember??? ), Writing chits to your exams ( now they ipod it or mobile it god the fate ). Those were the days. But like they say life goes on. We are the primitives in this new world. There is nothing to do but embrace it and move on...
Cheers,

abhai2k said...

I must say this is something i have to face everyday. Being a tech savvy guy etc i am shocked in seeing kids half my age actually being experts handling complex gadgets when i and other ppl my age struggle to get the damn thing on. But i seriously think they are missing out on the solid not so techie life we guys had. Come getting stood up by your date etc cause he/she was not able to reach you on your land-line( Yeah they still exist too ... its those phones with wires in your home remember??? ), Writing chits to your exams ( now they ipod it or mobile it god the fate ). Those were the days. But like they say life goes on. We are the primitives in this new world. There is nothing to do but embrace it and move on...
Cheers,

abhai2k said...

I must say this is something i have to face everyday. Being a tech savvy guy etc i am shocked in seeing kids half my age actually being experts handling complex gadgets when i and other ppl my age struggle to get the damn thing on. But i seriously think they are missing out on the solid not so techie life we guys had. Come getting stood up by your date etc cause he/she was not able to reach you on your land-line( Yeah they still exist too ... its those phones with wires in your home remember??? ), Writing chits to your exams ( now they ipod it or mobile it god the fate ). Those were the days. But like they say life goes on. We are the primitives in this new world. There is nothing to do but embrace it and move on...
Cheers,

M.Ananth.Pai said...

One thing for sure is that the next generation takes from the place where you left and so is the case here.
Media
Media has played a major part in changing the mindset of todays kids. It would have done to us also but the channels then were limited and mostly Doordarshan was the channel which every house saw. But today there are so many channels that anyone hardly sees DD {so the prasar bharati had to put entertianment tax on every TV set ou buy :D} also the amount of freedom and experimenting the media does today is far far ahead of what it was earlier.

Parental control
Initially we were in joint family where there were elder to look after kids and had a check on what kids watch, but today its mostly Double Income family where the kids have only TV, COmp, Vedio games at their rescue for entertainment, they can't even go for playing as there are no much grounds around.

So things are going to change but only thing we can do is how fast or how slow it will be. Just remembered the Sunscreen song Check here for lyrics

M.Ananth.Pai said...

One thing for sure is that the next generation takes from the place where you left and so is the case here.
Media
Media has played a major part in changing the mindset of todays kids. It would have done to us also but the channels then were limited and mostly Doordarshan was the channel which every house saw. But today there are so many channels that anyone hardly sees DD {so the prasar bharati had to put entertianment tax on every TV set ou buy :D} also the amount of freedom and experimenting the media does today is far far ahead of what it was earlier.

Parental control
Initially we were in joint family where there were elder to look after kids and had a check on what kids watch, but today its mostly Double Income family where the kids have only TV, COmp, Vedio games at their rescue for entertainment, they can't even go for playing as there are no much grounds around.

So things are going to change but only thing we can do is how fast or how slow it will be. Just remembered the Sunscreen song Check here for lyrics

M.Ananth.Pai said...

One thing for sure is that the next generation takes from the place where you left and so is the case here.
Media
Media has played a major part in changing the mindset of todays kids. It would have done to us also but the channels then were limited and mostly Doordarshan was the channel which every house saw. But today there are so many channels that anyone hardly sees DD {so the prasar bharati had to put entertianment tax on every TV set ou buy :D} also the amount of freedom and experimenting the media does today is far far ahead of what it was earlier.

Parental control
Initially we were in joint family where there were elder to look after kids and had a check on what kids watch, but today its mostly Double Income family where the kids have only TV, COmp, Vedio games at their rescue for entertainment, they can't even go for playing as there are no much grounds around.

So things are going to change but only thing we can do is how fast or how slow it will be. Just remembered the Sunscreen song Check here for lyrics

Ajan said...

Abstract Ajan??? :)
heehhehe!
actually was waitin wen ur gonna keep some caption for me...hmm..!! fell short o m imagination..newaz...hope ul change it sooner or later.. :D

Ajan said...

Abstract Ajan??? :)
heehhehe!
actually was waitin wen ur gonna keep some caption for me...hmm..!! fell short o m imagination..newaz...hope ul change it sooner or later.. :D

Ajan said...

Abstract Ajan??? :)
heehhehe!
actually was waitin wen ur gonna keep some caption for me...hmm..!! fell short o m imagination..newaz...hope ul change it sooner or later.. :D

vichchoobhai said...

sooraj na badla, chand na badla, naa badla re aasmaan
kitna badal gaya insaan

I think it is part of the evolutionary process which seems to have been put on third gear.

vichchoobhai said...

sooraj na badla, chand na badla, naa badla re aasmaan
kitna badal gaya insaan

I think it is part of the evolutionary process which seems to have been put on third gear.

vichchoobhai said...

sooraj na badla, chand na badla, naa badla re aasmaan
kitna badal gaya insaan

I think it is part of the evolutionary process which seems to have been put on third gear.