Where have all the bicycles gone?
Childhood has moved indoors. What a shame. Children are to be running free in open spaces, climbing trees, finding frogs and turtles, biking to the playground, and be difficult to find dinner. Today's child is more likely to be found sitting behind a screen - TV, video games, computers. 8-10 years of age reportedly spend an average of 6 hours per day watching a screen. Bearing into account an additional 6 hours spent in school besides eat, sleep, homework and we have taken the worlds of children and made them small structured spaces with little physical activity and almost no time for free play. Organized sports have become the play of many children, but actually only a quarter of all children are playing an organized sport at any time of year. So the vast majority are just sitting around, growing obese at a rate alarming and losing important socialization.
How did we get to that place where our children's lives are so limited and isolated? Well, we can begin with the lives of their parents. American adults, as chronicled in Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone", have become isolated from their community. Participation in all aspects of community life has declined dramatically in the last 30 years. One of the interesting points in Putnam's book is that bowling is still very popular, but bowling leagues have virtually disappeared. Adults no longer feel they have no time to make commitments to be with others on a regular basis. A colleague of mine only commented on how he wanted to start playing bridge again, found some friends with a similar desire, who is a teacher, and after discovering his friends could not commit to a regular schedule of classes.
What happened to the adults of America? Changes in family structure are important. With so many divorces, we have a much higher percentage of heads of households and blended families, resulting in hours of life much more difficult for parents and children. In addition, parents of a dual career have become the norm and work increasingly invaded the privacy of family life with the arrival of the cell phones and computers. Americans work more hours than any other industrialized nation.
In this context of reduced hands on fatherhood and times overwhelming, the current generation of parents has become a group of anxious they are overly concerned about security and academic / intellectual development of their children. Too bad ... for parents and children. Ended up with more intelligent than the overweight children are more stressed and growing too fast. Higher rates Anxiety and depression are not an accident.
So where have all the bicycles? Getting first 2 wheels used to be one of the most exciting childhood. This meant an expansion of the child's world. The opportunity to travel beyond the street and meet friends in the park, ball field, or simply go to someone's house on his own, was an exciting new stage of independence. It also meant plenty of exercise. But sales of bicycles are collapsing. For the 20% decline in just the last 5 years. Now, less than half of children from 7-11 regularly cycling. This is a serious change in the culture of life for our children.
It's not just the crazy schedule of the parents or the growing temptation of "screens" to play. An important role in the world in the narrowing of children is the fear of parents. Surveys show parents have a distorted expectation of the risk that if they let their children roam freely in the city, children can be abducted by pedophiles. Schoolyards are no longer considered safe places to hang out. Forests are no longer a great place to explore. Cycling in the city has come to mean a greater chance of being abducted.
The parents could not be more wrong. In fact, only 100-130 strange abduction of a year in the U.S. This is a miniscule number. I'm not insensitive to the pain of parents who have had a child abducted and sexually abused or killed, but please, let's keep some perspective here. You and your child are 3 times more likely to be beaten by lightning at a football game that his child is likely to experience the kidnapping of a stranger!
Notice I keep stressing "Stranger kidnapping." 75% of all abductions are made by someone the child knows, I suspect most of which are made by divorced parents who are angry about custody arrangements. Free Running Kids - Meeting at the playground or in someone's yard - they are very safe. Not only safe, but that these children are learning to make creative use of their time, being physically assets, and improving their social skills. And it's free! Now what more can you ask.
So please, restrict access to the screens, send their children outside the home, encourage them to go places on their own, and not just smile when a child chooses to use instant messaging programs talk to your friend next door. Turn off your computer and send his side! Consider what a pleasure to shout down the street or call a friend to find his son a lunchtime instead of simply having to spy on him away from his Xbox. Let's do something special for kids bikes again.
About the Author
Dr. Heller is a clinical psychologist, now retired, who specialized in providing services to children, families, and couples since 1968. He has written over 170 columns about parenting and marriage which are available on his website,
http://www.drheller.com
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Why is my custom computer run Sims 2 Deluxe?
Ok my sister bought this game as a year ago and put it on your laptop with the Sims open for business. and the other day I bought the seasons expansion pack and when I tried to put the Sims 2 Deluxe on that first big deal! I put the disc and it doesn't even run .. but the thing is that other (stations open for business, etc.). i dont know wat to do someone please help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you have a DVD drive? Sims2 Deluxe only comes on DVD. The other games that are listed in the CD
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