Hey everyone, I’m back here again with a post about my Nephew, Josh. he’s coming up to 12 years old and like every kid his age he should be out riding bikes, skateboarding, roller blading and all the other fun outdoor activities that are available to growing youngsters these days. Unfortunately for Josh, he spends most of his spare time in front of a computer console playing computer games or surfing the Internet for lord knows what.
It seems that most kids these days have forsaken the activities that my generation and that of my own grown up kids spent our free time enjoying. In Josh’s case, he doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter as he is what we now call a person with disabilities.
Ok, I’m not looking for any sympathy here for the guy and he certainly doesn’t want any. As far as he’s concerned he’s doing the same as all his friends are doing, so he’s actually not an outsider. If it had been in my day, then he certainly would have been shunned by the rest of the kids for not being able to go out and play like we used to because of his physical limitations.
So in a way, while I would be tearing my hair out if I had a 12 year old son who never saw daylight because he was surgically attached to his computer, I’m not so annoyed with the way things are turning out. At least for Josh’s sake.
Wanna know what upsets me about all this? Ha, even if you don’t you’re gonna get it anyway! This is my rantin’ blog and Ahm a gonna use it! (Picture Yosemite Sam with red face, bristling mustache and jumping up and down in fury!)
The kids that have two perfectly good arms and two perfectly good legs are squandering their future health by spending all their time doing no physical activity. When I was a lad, my friends and I used to run, ride bikes, swim, roller skate (that was before roller blades, by the way) climb trees and all sorts of stuff. No one wanted to sit inside watching a TV when there was so much to do outside! We were fit as anything and we ate good home cooked meals so we got all the nourishment we needed. We here healthy and we grew up healthy. That was my generation.
My kids also spent plenty of time outdoors, although they were more inclined to want to also spend some time in front of the TV. I guess the TV shows were better then the ones we had when I was a kid!
But this generation of kids? They don’t want to do a damn thing except play computer games, surf the Internet, watch TV and text each other on cell phones! They eat junk food and practically no fresh fruit or vegetables. They are not building their bodies into fit, healthy specimens that will ensure a healthy and long life. In short, they are condemning themselves to an unhealthy adulthood and possibly a shorter lifespan than previous generations.
Why is this happening?
You tell me! I’ll be long gone before it comes to pass, but it’s a damn shame to watch it happen from the beginning. While my own nephew is looking at handicap shower accessories to brighten up his life, all his friends have their heads stuck to the monitors of their games consoles and when they’re bored with them, they don’t even get up off the sofa, but grab the remote and flip on the TV to be fed up a diet of brainwashing garbage from reality TV shows that are the dregs of entertainment.
Lord help us in the next 20 years. Because unless attitudes change, we’re gonna see some changes that we really don’t want to see.
Edwyn Prose.
Edwyn Prose 