Khalil Gibran said
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
As adults we are fascinated and exasperated in equal measure by children of today. ‘They are sooo smart!’ exclaims a parent about her children who create rap songs or score high on a game of ‘Angry Birds’. Teachers, on the other hand, feel that children do not respect Indian values and argue incessantly. They, also, complain about how children are restless and have poor attention span and those who write answers as if they are writing a sms or a tweet. Then, we see these child prodigies on television who dance to the latest Bollywood hits or belt out jokes in comedy shows.
In this blog series we begin by interviewing three parents to find out what they think about children of today.
Saroj Chowla
1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?
I interact with two set of Children- one who attend the Art of Living classes and the other who attend the present day schools. I feel those who are associated with the Art of Living classes are more close to our Indian values and cultural heritage. On the contrary, children attending the present day schools have a greater western influence on them.
2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?
As a child I was more innocent. I was happy with my upbringing. I was more accepting of the decisions that my elders took for me. However, the children of today don’t acknowledge the experience that elders have and end up being confused.
They are very touched by materialism. This makes them miss on the joy that little moments in life can bring.
Sarika Thukral
Largely, I think they are interested in television, their friends and a kind of music that is not at all soulful. Even, the friendships they have don’t seem to have any quality to them.
2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?
I was more inclined towards music that is meaningful and friendships that are qualitative. I used to play a lot of outdoor games. This made me evolve as a more focused person in life. Today’s children are simply not focused.
3. What do you think are the Children of today missing and lacking in their lives?
They are missing badly on relationships. They are lonelier.
Arnav Sood
1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?
According to me, the children of today have a keen interest in sports and computers. These are the two things that almost all of them are really good at.
2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?
Thanks to technology, the children today are more exposed to the world around them. It isn’t limited to their immediate surroundings.
I will say that they are missing on the cultural values. We were more attached to our relatives and extended family.
In these interviews, we heard the perspective of parents and grandparents about the children of today. In the following weeks, we will unravel whether children share the same perspective. So in our following blog series’ A Window into the World of Children, get ready to meet the child of the 21st century and get an insight into their fascinating world.
Hear them talk about what motivates and excites them, their interests and their aspirations…
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