An interesting discussion came up around the dinner table the other evening – are our children becoming soft and have they actually forgotten how to play?
Television, Playstations, Mxit, cellphone games and broadband connections at home have meant that kids are now constantly connected to electronic stimulus and these kids simply don’t have the same desire to go out and do activities that require them to run around, play, fall over and most importantly – socialise!
Parents must also take some responsibility here – how often have you brought home work and worked through dinner, your child’s homework time or weekends. You as the parent are often too tired or too busy to throw a cricket ball, take them to a hockey match or find a way to stimulate your child. The simple solution is to say “go and watch TV”.
The reality is that people are busier and they are faced with time constraints. But lets be honest – no parent wants to wake up when their child turns 18 or 21 and realise they have no idea who their child is or what they enjoy.
Children need to play. They need to be able to experience the rough and tumble of playing sports with other kids. They need to learn to be able sportsmanship and teamwork by doing group sports. They need the fresh air of walking the dogs, riding their bikes, swimming in the pool.
When they get older they will have plenty of time to sit behind a desk and scramble to meet final deadlines or finish this “one last thing”.
For parents out there – take this opportunity to stop what you are doing, go and find your kids and decide today you are going to play. The experience will be rewarding for both you and them.
