Greetings from limbo, Wonderers! I know I've been gone a lot (which, actually, should not surprise anyone, given my posting habits) but I have something to share. Very wordy, as always.
As I sit through the last days of my second student teaching placement (middle school has and always will be an awful place), doing my homework for grad school in the back of the classroom while students watch movies, period after dreadful period, it occurs to me that there is a sad trend happening to today's youth. They are not being given a childhood.
There will be many, many people, I'm sure, to argue against my opinion. But hear me out.
A student walked into the classroom earlier today wearing a classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt. The totally tubular turtles from the 90s, not the radical warriors they are today. Let me show you a couple images to bring this home to you:
90s TMNT: Happy faces, welcoming round eyes, just a bunch of bros who like eating pizza and fighting crime.
TMNT Now: Slitted eyes, angry expressions, definitely mid-combat. These guys are mad. And they're coming for YOU. Excuse me, but, what the hell?
It pleased me to see that the legacy of the original Turtles lives on. I have no idea where she came across the shirt, whether she bought it or if it was a real, (dare I say) vintage t-shirt, passed down to her from the best uncle ever. Either way, I appreciated the throwback to what was, in my humble opinion, a better time for kids.
How about the evolution of My Little Pony?
These are the original ponies. Notice, the happy little scene the've put together here. Look at their sweet, friendly faces. Filled with innocence. A rainbow, a flowering tree, a spacious meadow, and ponies that actually somewhat resemble ponies.
Then the ponies looked like this. They still look like ponies. A little more three-dimensional, a little bit shiny, but taken out of context. Where's the grass? And also, is it me, or did they get… sexier? They're definitely flirting...
This is what they look like now. Japanimation is very present as an influence for this animator. And what exactly are they supposed to look like? Because from where I'm standing, they look like CatPigPonies. And, a dragon?
Don't even get me started on Barbie's new body, or Ken with real hair. I get that Mattel was trying to send a more positive message about body image to young girls, but with the media being what it is, and the Kardashians splashed on every magazine cover, what difference is one doll really making? Not to mention that every Disney princess in the history of ever had a rack so round and perky it would make plastic surgeons drool, and nobody ever says "boo" about that...
Kids today are inundated with technology, and hyper-sexualized cartoons and video games. I once got into a debate with an aide at my current student teaching placement about kindergarteners with cell phones. Yes, I still call it a cell phone. Why, oh why, does a five-year-old need a phone with them at all times? The aide's argument was that the parent could have a change of plans, and maybe someone else would come to pick the child up from school, and with a phone, they can notify the child directly. Or they can have the child explain the situation to the friend's parent picking them up from school. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't trust a kindergartener as far as I could throw her if she up and told me that I was picking her up from school because her mommy said so. Why would you ask such a small child to be accountable for his or her own schedule? Why would you let them
dictate their own schedule? Whatever happened to letting the office know the situation and having someone inform the child? Or the other parent? Need I remind you, these children are FIVE YEARS OLD!? Why would you expect them to have the same grip on life that you, a well-adjusted adult have spent so many years cultivating?
Even music today is less about love, happiness, and helping one another. Now we have songs about humping, killing, booties, and "popping tags" at the thrift store. Macklemore, really? You wrote a song about STEALING CLOTHES FROM A THRIFT SHOP? Most things in there don't cost more than $5 anyway!
School is harder. Tests are harder. Expectations are higher, and punishments are more severe in the long run. My former second grade teacher once said (right when I first started my credentialing program) that her current kindergarten students are learning things I wouldn't have learned until at least first grade. Did children just start getting born smarter? I don't think so. And now that there are so many ways to qualify for special education, those students that need help are getting left even further in the dust.
So let's band together and get the old narrative back. Parents, listen up. I get that you want your kids to like you, and be your friends. But you're not supposed to be their friend. You're supposed to be their parent. So take the responsibility and let your kid be a kid. Children deserve to have real childhoods. Ones where they play outside on a jungle gym, instead of watching a Sim character play on one on their computer. Playing board games instead of video games. Using their imaginations to turn a cardboard box into the BEST toy they've ever had the pleasure of calling their own. Kids don't have that anymore. And they need it more than ever.
