The past fucking sucked. Nostalgia is nice, but it’s ultimately
misleading. We all glamorise the
past in our own ways, whether
through the bands we liked in
High School, an interest in family ancestry or certain fascinations with particular periods
of time. But nostalgia is always
biased. Of course, we shouldn’t
ignore the past, we just need to
stop pretending it was a mystical
golden age. The 1950’s weren’t all
white-picket fences and lemonade stands, despite what ‘Leave
It Beaver’ may have you believe.
I mean, typewriters are super
cool but have you ever tried using one? Very tiresome. There’s
nothing wrong with that fond
romanticism many of us feel for
the past, but trying to recreate it
for your child is both weird and
ine?ectual. Warping your child’s
perception of modern day is
not going to make them traditional or humble. Believe it or
not, a child can learn to operate
a computer and write with pen
on paper. They’re not mutually
exclusive. A kid can enjoy programming and fishing, just as
they can like both video games
and books. It all comes down to
parenting. By all means, unite
them with the past, but don’t
leave them unprepared for the
future.
ogy isn’t an obstacle here. It’s a
tool for interacting with this vast
world around them. A wealth
of information lies at our finger
tips and every moment can be
captured and shared, and that’s
pretty cool. The key is to synthesise technology with a traditional childhood, embracing the
importance of both rather than
pitting them against one another.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this unsolicited parenting advice from
a single, childless 21-year-old
In full, I understand these issues man. As always, it’s been both a
come from a good place. People pleasure and a pointless misadwant their kids to thrive. Every- venture. Have a nice day.
one wants their child to be happy
and successful and brilliant. Of
course kids need to play together and get outside, but technol-
Adios.