Self Regulation

Today after class I was really intrigued about our conversation about self-regulation and kids today. I discussed it with a number of people, including my dad who I thought had the best take on it. After I told him about the things we talked about, he had two points:

1. My dad is sixty, meaning he grew up in the 1950's. I told him how time is so structured, especially in the summers, when kids go to camp during the day instead of playing outside. One fundamental part of his childhood summers was baseball. He didn't play on a team, but rather played daily pick-up games with kids his age. The first skill the kids had to learn was team building. He played three games a day, and every team was different because they picked new teams every game. Decision making is a crucial skill that kids today probably lack. Watching TV or playing a computer game does not require a level of decision making that picking a baseball team does. The second aspect of the game was negotiation. Since there were no coaches or umpires, all decisions had to be made by the players. Was he safe or was he out? My dad would have to negotiate with the other team. It was a give and take game. Sometimes the teams had to negotiate and make deals with each other. When kids watch TV, they are not getting any interaction or social skills, essentially crippling them for life.

2. The second point my dad brought up was mobility. When he was growing up, he biked everywhere. When he went out with his friends, they would bike two towns over. His mom never asked where he was going or what he was doing. Being outside was good, not dangerous. He had freedom at age 10 that I still don't have. My mom would never let me just leave with no explanation or with no cell phone. I think the times have severely changed for the worse. Our fear is getting to the best of us, and we see the consequences in today's kids with self-regulation.