Parents are transporters of teenagers. I am still on the transporting theme…
Our parents were luckier than us. We used to go around on our bicycles, and we used to walk a lot more than the children of today. (Wow that could have been my grandmother saying that! I AM getting old!)
Our parents did not have to drive us everywhere like we do with our children. Is this a global phenomenon, or is it more so in South Africa? With our crime problems and bad driving cited as some of the main reasons for not allowing our children to go by themselves - by bicycle or by walking. Getting the bus is also not an option, because we have such a bad public transport system. It does not cater for everybody – we don’t have buses going to our neighbourhood. It has become a daily grind for all parents to drive their children to school, including all the extra-mural activities.
I think our children are losing out on:
- not being active as much as we used to;
- not learning about traffic rules while being taxied;
- not smelling the crisp fresh air;
- not learning about independence;
- not enjoying the solitude of a walk or a bicycle ride.
Our children can’t even ride a bicycle in our townhouse complex, because all the dogs start barking. We have definitely lost something in our urban jungle!
That is so true! I remember how we had to walk everywhere when we were little. There is no way my child will do the same when he's bigger.
ReplyDeletewe sure have lost out a lot. I also remember playing on sand heaps behind our house on the farm, riding bikes, playing soccer in the streets, walking over to my best friend's house in the afternoon - to make fudge. What happy memories - our kids are missing out on.
ReplyDeleteHere in the UK everyone ride bicycles. The kids go on the busses, tube, train all hours of the day and are very independent. Think sometimes it's better to know where the kids are when dropping them off and fetching them. But a great transport system make such a difference and kids travel free.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate it so much more the times my dad fetched us from university and took us back again after a weekend. My mom and dad also had to take me many years to the orthodontist in their working hours. Was sometimes great to talk with them on the drive to and fro.....
SA crime is a shame as we loved cycling everywhere when we were in school. It definitely keep us fit and thin too! ;-)
Our kids are going to miss out on some, but it's a nice reminder that we are going to have more times to talk with them in the car!
ReplyDelete