I often wonder how much of the way people discipline and treat their children is more about left over discontent for the way they were treated as a kid. Some of the harsh, archaic parenting methods we would scoff at these days are common place out here where I live and work. I understand some things, but other things are kind of symptoms of the changing times. Buying your kids the best new smart phone might be kind of pushing it, but it’s important for them to know how to use tablets and smart phones and especially computers.
Typing class isn’t something that’s as common as it once was. While some schools almost require kids to learn and read on iPads, some still house an dilapidated lab full of computers that still boot through DOS or Apple computers that predate the birth of the iPod. It’s hard to defend the notion that kids should be raised simple when the world is pushing further and further toward anything but.
Kids can still be kids and use electronics and also be treated with respect. The old saying “children should be seen and not heard” always struck me as the kind of thing e would expect to hear of Victorian women or the slaves that were blessed enough to be allowed to serve inside of the house. It’s sad that we can’t find medium ground between raising someone to be respectful and treating them like property.
I’m a while away from having kids myself, but I can say that one of the things that matters most to me is that I raise them in a way that’s compatible with a twentieth century mind set.
Pulp & Fiction 