Innocence Lost?

First of all, forgive me for writing another nostalgic post but don't worry. This is not purely about nostalgia, okay? On to the business...

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When I look back in my childhood, I usually see kids running around in the streets as they play tag, play with their toys, and even just laugh about their jokes or one of their friends' contagious laughs. I mean, we all have or had that friend who has a very contagious laugh. I also used to see kids riding in their bikes and just, you know, being themselves and acting in their age.

Now, when I look at kids today, I can't help but compare my times to theirs and I think that my childhood might not be what I wanted but at least, I got to experience the great outdoors and running around unlike kids today who are inside the comforts of their homes with gadgets in their hands. Most of the kids I see are not very active anymore and they don't get the chance to explore the world outside themselves. I can still see some kids running around the streets but I think I can count them with the fingers of my hands and feet.

Comparing the kids before and now, I realized that the kids today don't possess this particular innocence that kids before have. They don't actually act like children I used to know before. Before, we whine and cry to our parents because they won't let us out and play with our playmates. Kids these days now wallow because they don't have their PSPs or their cell phones or they're not allowed to play on the computer.

I know that parents are just keeping their children inside their houses to keep an eye on them but seriously... it's better to let them out in the open so that they'll have their chance to explore and experience the things they will never experience once they step into adulthood. Trust me. They might not realize it now but they will realize it when they grow up and it'll be hard for them in adjusting with their lives especially those who are sheltered too much.

One thing that I also noticed that is missing today is the sense of appreciating small things. Kids today beg for their parents to buy them their very own handheld gadget or even cell phone unlike in my childhood or in most adults today's childhood where when our parents allow us to go outside and play after finishing our school assignments and chores, it's like we claimed our victory and freedom in our hands as we ran outside and meet up with our friends.

You might think that I can't move on with my childhood or whatever but from the looks of things, I say that we might be going down because the innocence of the children today are being extinguished by superficial and materialistic things. We might be killing the children's initiative to learn and explore because of too much sheltering.

When I hear the word "youth" before, innocence usually comes into my mind but now... I don't know anymore. I just hope that in some ways, the innocence will be restored in the next generation of children despite the advances in technology and in the environment and in the necessities.

If I ever become a parent, I'll let my children explore and I will not kill their innocence. Of course, I'll protect them with all my might but I won't shelter them too much because for me, it'll be nice to open my children's mind as early as their childhood to prepare them for the things they'll encounter when they finally reach the stage of adulthood.