Griffin Johnston, 4th period, Parenting today compared to what it was 40 years ago

            In a recent article on CNN.com, Kelly Wallace reports on the disparity of parenting style today versus how parents raised their children 40 years ago. The article states that because of the public’s greater awareness of the crimes and evil that is present in the world (due to the media) they perceive their environment as unsafe for their young children to venture off into; this differed greatly from the “laissez-faire,” worry-free attitude parents’ had regarding their children’s safety. The article also attributed this ubiquitous vigilance of parents towards their childrens well-being to their greater exposure to information. 40 years ago, women would smoke and drink alcohol while pregnant without a second thought; now, a women bearing a child will not only be repulsed from acohol and smoking, but also lunch meat and sushi (among other things). The article also underscores how parents are always making sure their children are doing something (i.e. soccer practice, music lesson, art classes, choir, gymnastics, swimming, etc.) to the point of over scheduling.  Before, as Wallace mentioned, were much more isolated and independent from their parents and were, therefore, left to entertain themselves more often (God forbid).

            There is certainly adequate justification for parents being concerned about their children’s safety to the point of putting boundaries on their freedom that did not exist in years past. This can be seen as a sign that parents are especially loving and caring towards their children (not that they were not before). However, it is difficult to say whether the world has become a more dangerous place for children, or that we are more simply more aware of the dangers and atrocities in the world that have always existed with the same frequency; this greater awareness, as the article stated, can cause us to perceive the world more negatively, and, therefore, have a greater effect on how parents regulate their children’s freedoms. But, children have to be exposed to failure and hardships, experiencing them without their parents there, so they can learn how to recover and learn from the failure. If they need help, the parent should absolutely step in and provide that help because that is one of their primary roles; they help their children learn. For those who say that parents should stay out of their children’s lives, compare parenting to one’s schooling; a 7^th grader cannot go into reading class and effectively teach himself to comprehend Lord of the Flies and the student would probably see no point in doing so; the student has to have the guidance and help of a teacher to help him not only comprehend the novel (or learn whatever it is they are learning) but also see the importance of what they are doing (and if they do not see the importance, they will learn soon enough). Even so, without the teacher’s guidance the student would be lacking in a skill they (unbeknownst to them) would need later on in life. Our parents have made us do things that we saw no purpose in since the beginning. But they are 30-40 years wiser and we will look back one day and be thankful that are parents made us do those things.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/09/living/motherhood-now-vs-then-parents/index.html?hpt=hp_t5