Dear Axel Fjeldavli: I read your column about the “generation of house pigs” with a good cup of coffee in hand (without sugar – I’m trying to keep in shape, after all) and I have to say that I chuckled a little to myself. I will agree on one thing: we have a problem if our kids don’t even know what a tree house looks like in real life and think “stick war” is the name of a new app. But let’s calm the panic for a moment and realize that the world has actually changed – and that it may not be as catastrophic as you fear. First of all: Swinging sticks and climbing roofs was never exactly a requirement for becoming a successful adult. If it were like that, we’d have a whole generation of roofer-philosophers and stick fencing as an Olympic sport. I remember with horror how many times I fell from the old birch tree in the garden. If balancing on a half-dark branch was the key to success, then today I should be CEO of some big company. Still, I’ve managed fine without climbing a tree in decades. You mention that the kids today sit on their bums too much, but honestly, have you seen what they’re actually doing on those screens? Because it’s not just passive spectators we’re talking about here. Our little tech gurus design their own worlds in Minecraft, solve logic puzzles in Zelda, and engage in loud discussions about morality, ethics, and Pokémon battle strategies. I dare say they are more creative than we were when we threw a ball at the wall for hours and called it “fun”. Let’s talk a little about the dangers of being outside too much. I mean, today’s children often hear from us adults that they should watch out for cars, strangers, poisonous berries, the water in the fjord (it can be cold!), and really anything that could potentially give them a scrape. And then we wonder why they choose to stay indoors. It is clear that when parents are more anxious than ever, children end up choosing the safety of the sofa over the dangerous world outside. Maybe it’s us who should be a little tougher – give them a little push out the door and say: “Good luck, I hope you get home with all your fingers intact.” When we look at the development of play, we also have to realize that the classic forms of free play, such as fighting with sticks and throwing themselves down the steepest slopes, may not have age on their side anymore. After all, we live in a time where technology gives children opportunities that we could only dream of. Have you ever seen a seven-year-old programming his own little robot? It is far more impressive than the homemade stick castle I built as a child – which, incidentally, was destroyed by a bigger boy who thought it was a “weak construction”. Maybe it’s time to expand the term “play” to include the new ways kids express their creativity, whether it’s through code, e-sports or YouTube videos of them building an absurdly complicated LEGO city. And then we have this with screen time. It has become the major culprit for everything from poor sleep to anxiety and poor eyesight. But let’s be honest: the screens are here to stay, and we can’t just take them away and hope that the kids will go straight back to the 1980s play traditions as if nothing happened. Photo: Shutterstock The screens are our time’s answer to the old wooden huts and bounce houses, only with a little more pixelated fun. I’m not saying they shouldn’t play outside – I’m just saying that maybe we need to recognize that today’s play isn’t necessarily worse, just different. Yes, they may not get as much fresh air, but in return they have become master problem solvers who can Google their way out of any tricky situation. And that’s not so bad? I’m also a bit fascinated by the idea that we need to “take back free play”. It sounds like we’re going on some heroic rescue mission to free the toy from an evil corporation that has chained it up in the basement. But the truth is that play – in all its forms – still exists. Children still find ways to express their imagination and curiosity, although it may not always be in the woods or on the soccer field. If we can meet them where they are, instead of insisting they have to play the way we did, maybe we can strike a better balance. Let them enjoy the screen, but also give them the opportunity to experience the world outside, without necessarily demonizing the technology they love. So before we all go out and buy popsicles for our kids in hopes of saving them from a screen-based fate, let’s remember that “everything was better before.” Generation Pigs may surprise us – perhaps they will grow up to be both technologically competent and outdoorsy, who can climb trees if they have to, but who prefer to stick to virtual climbing in their spare time. And it can’t be that bad, can it? Send us your opinion Want to write? Feel free to contact us at news Ytring with your post. The guidelines can be found here. Published 16.10.2024, at 15.23
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There is hope for the guinea pig – Ytring
