03.20.09
Life Outside
There are a few issues that concern me that are Outside The Scope of the essay I am writing. They are:
The loss of children’s geographies – where are children’s spaces now that they are “container” children, spending more time than ever in boxes of various sizes (cars, classrooms, carseats, strollers)? Where are their secret lairs, where are their alone-spots? What is the world made of when we have no liminal spaces? They don’t even walk to school anymore. They are never alone, unsupervised, in free child culture? What is happening to children’s society when it is totally mediated – by adults and by screens?
also, how can we live outdoors? How can we move our lives outside to bring the awareness of nature and life into our experience?
and, the man-machine and the nature-machine.
now, back to work.
oneoverphi said,
April 6, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I recall discussing this very same issue with my dad some years ago. His thoughts on it were that if a child must always get the nod of approval from a parental figure before deciding whether they can, or if they should do something, then as adults they will seek out that same sort of support from whatever authority figure chooses to supply it. Be it spousal, governmental, religious or such-forth. That person will always be seeking permission from someone. I feel it is a dis-service to not allow someone to discover for themselves what their own limits are, and what they are capable of doing. Of course F. thinks my parents were permissive to the point of being neglectful, but I disagree. I think that as a result of my childhood freedom, I am better able to chart my own course in life, confident in my skills to navigate the world.
Best of luck on the essay!
Adri said,
June 20, 2009 at 12:15 pm
While I feel that oneoverphi as a very valid point in terms of personal freedom allowing one to discover his/her own limits, it must be acknowledged that our children live in a world far different from the one we grew up in.
In this day and age all it takes to have CPS called on you is to leave your child (under the age of 12) unattended in a car. Not kidding. Just try to let your children go to the park in a group of less than 5 without someone reporting you for neglect. Add to this the fact that attempted and successful abductions seem to be on the rise and you have a situation where we as parents are forced to choose between allowing our kids to test the boundaries and being permitted to actually retain custody of them.
We live in a world where personal accountability seems to be on the wane, along with trust and common sense. Instead of teaching our kids how to catch fireflies and put them in jars we instead lecture them on how cruel that would be to the poor insect and hand them an iPod, or a Gameboy in hopes of keeping them entertained while we worry about finances, the economy, or whatever.
The world of my childhood is long gone and unfortunately, it’s never coming back. We as a society are heading down a very dark road, one that bodes ill for our children, grandchildren, and beyond.