Inspired by a recent conversation I had with an older lady where she fondly reminisced about playing conkers at school in the 70s/80s, and I realised I missed out on this lovely childhood experience as a child in the early 2000s. I'm not (yet) a parent myself but it made me think about what simple pleasures children these days do not know, thanks to everyone having phones/tablets and all entertainment at their fingertips on demand.
If I have children in the future, I would try to enforce strict rules on technology use and make sure they get lots of outdoor play time, learn to play simple board games, card games, etc. from an early age. Wherever I go, I always see children glued to their phones and it makes me anxious for my own future children -- will I be able to prevent them becoming digital addicts with low patience? These kids don't even know the excitement of waiting for their favourite tv show to air at a particular time of the day...everything is available at all times with a single click.
If you are an "old-fashioned" parent of young children, how do you manage to avoid the curse of instant digital gratification and still raise your child to appreciate simple pleasures? I could implement strict "no phones no tablets" rules at home but when they see friends at school with easy access to technology, they will think of me as a horrible mum! And exposure to technology through school is unavoidable; I even know of very good schools that have done away with physical textbooks/homework and only use digital learning materials and online homework. 😧