Generational Jealousy

I was dreaming of the past,
And my heart was beating fast,
I'm just a jealous guy.

John Lennon 1971

I'm jealous of my kids.  Not in the traditional sense, that I want to take something from them and make it my own.  Like most parents, I want my kids to have everything and far, far surpass me in every way possible.  But over the course of the last few years I have recognized one undeniable fact; it's much better to be a kid now then when I was growing up more than 30 years ago.  It's not even close.  Everything is better now.

Take school (My 3 in school are 7, 5, and 3).  I remember school being basically boring.  You sat down, you stared at a blackboard, you got good at rote memorization.  You looked obsessively at the clock waiting for recess.  That was pretty much it.  Today? As one of my sons’ teachers put it, to them everything is play, they just don't know it's really learning.  In other words, the schools have learned techniques and have technology to more efficiently teach children, while at the same time doing it in a fun filled, interactive environment.  Chalkboards have been replaced.  In their place are smartboards with addictive video and color, like a videogame.  Computers are everywhere, filled with learning software that is also a game.  Instead of having to stare endlessly straight ahead, rooms are divided into stations where different subjects are taught.  (By the way, although the particular school my kids go to is GHA in Atlanta, I will hopefully assume other schools throughout the country use similar methods).

I went to a Jewish day school from grades 1-8, and learning Hebrew was taught like any other course.  Neither myself or any of my friends were remotely close to fluent when we graduated.  I probably knew less than 100 words.  Today the school immerses the children in Hebrew.  Even simple instructions like “class, turn to page 10” are spoken in Hebrew.  Yeah, I’d say my kids will know more than 100 words when they graduate.

How about birthday parties?  When I was growing up it seemed like for every birthday party there were two choices; eat cake at the birthday boy’s house, or eat cake at the roller skating rink.  Now? I can't even accurately describe some of the things I've seen.  A massive gymnasium for kids where they do things like drop 10 feet into foam balls.  A place devoted to science experiments where they throw the slimiest goop you can imagine on each other, and it magically comes off without a trace.  Live wild animals (OK, quasi-wild).  Massive, inflatable trampoline like devices where the kids jump for hours, often on each other unfortunately, until it's time to go home.

And how about TV?  As a typical 2011 overly protective couple, my wife and I monitor our children’s viewing like hawks.  And I can tell you, Netflix and Youtube are like manna from the heavens for that.  When I was a kid there was no cable, no powerful computers, no Disney-Pixar.  I remember looking forward to going to Herbie the Love Bug movies.  Yes, it's as pathetic as it sounds.  Now?  My children can basically watch any cartoon or animated movie ever created, and most of the time it’s immediate.  Let's just say that Toy Story 3 was slightly better than Herbie the Love Bug.

So if I could have gone forward in time, I would have.  I wonder if my kids will feel the same way when they’re my age.  Have a good night everyone.

JR