Friday, March 30, 2007

Two-wheelers zoom past me, while i'm threading step by step on the road. Bikes, mopeds, scooters..... speed in a hurry. Brakes are applied, and the vehicle slows dowm near a corner. Most of the times, it is youngsters who do this. With young blood in them, they crave to do something brave. And driving a vehicle at high speed is one of the easiest that they come up with.

On the other hand, another category of youngsters drive on the roads, school-going kids. I see children above 12 years of age, riding a Yamaha with ease. With feet failing to reach the ground, they go blur past me. Young boys cannot even put his foot down, if he stops his bike. Brakes are applied with a screeching sound to provide music to the ears.

It is the responsibilty of the parents to ensure the safety of the child. I've seen a father sitting behind a son, who is really young. Having learnt cycling, the task becomes all the more appealing. But, it does not vouch for the current situation. Children have to be told, the pros' and con's of the same. Though, riding a bike appeals to one, there is a particular age, when it should get started. I prefer to walk to the grocery store, unless i'm short of time, where by i use my bike.

A walk to a neighbourhood store is such a pleasant adventure . One could give it some time, to see herself/himself habituated to it. I enjoy my shopping sprees, especially if a cousin is willing to accompany me. It instills an essence of liveliness in us.

I would like to talk about another issue(i consider it to be so). Mobiles phones are omnipresent. Be it in a bus-top, in college, in a theatre, in a library.... An added advantage is the cost of mobile phones, and cellular currency which is on it's downslide. Again, these instruments in the hands of young kids, the idea is not elegant.

Why would kids need these phones? They can make their presence felt otherwise too. I still, prefer calling my friends at their respective homes, than speaking to them with the help of a mobile. I don't know the reason behind this, but i simply do not fancy the idea. Especially, when children are concerned.

PS: The above are my personal views.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does the problem lie with kids who, given the exposure to media etc, grow up much before their time?

Or do we blame the parents who seem to want their children to be little-adults?

mouna said...

anand,
exposure to media- does it induce such habits? i don't think so.

little adults, yes, but in many different ways. these put kids in jeopardy, not that other ways do not..hmmm...

Manu said...

Its media that influences and cost of this item that make them accessible to kids. Even parents are to take the blame for being to lenient in allowing them all the gizmos, when it is really unncessary.

Anonymous said...

Mouna, almost every ad has a kid in it? Agree? There have been many studies on how media affects children to adopt gadgets etc in their daily lives.
I'm very surprised that you are exonerating media influence!

mouna said...

anand,
perhaps i was thinking about an ideal situation, where such things do not occur. kids are indeed influenced by ads. for instance a mobile phone in the hands of a youngster, an ad inducing this habit in a kid....what say?

what u say, seems true.. :)

Anonymous said...

Eeeks... I hope I didn't arm-twist you into seeing my point of view mouna:)

Some time ago I wrote an article on children who appear in advertisements. I came across one horrible truth after another. The pretty kids were almost always forced by their parents to act in these ads and tele-serials; against their will.

I was shocked when one kid after another said things like: "Uncle, I'd like to go to school regularly... play with my friends... "

It was one of the more painful stories that I wrote. What's worse is that contrary to popular belief, these children were ridiculed in their school, by their classmates who called them names and told them not to act smart just because they were acting in ads and tele-serials.

Can you even begin to fathom the pain the child must have been going through... silently?

mouna said...

anand,
yes, these celebrity kids undergo so much. they loose their chilhood in this manner, when they ought to be playing, skipping around... it's sad to note this.

Prashanth M said...

First 2-3 paragraphs, you sound like an old lady :P

But, yes, you have brought up the very basic issues wih youngsters now-a-days...

I prefer bicycling to my friends' place instead of taking out my bike - even if the distance is 1-2 KMs :)

Srik said...

cycle Prashanth nin hesru....

I have no option but agree with you mouna about what children are exposed to now a days and their childhood is ending too early than ever.

As I had said in some comment previously, I do believe that environment has a great cause on shapening of one's mind. That environment might be "magazines, news papers, television, FM radio, friends, influential celebrities..."

No..I have not listed parents in the above list!! Does that mean they dont play a role in shaping a child themselves? They do and they..only they can screen all the things listed above and decide what influences how and chose the best before it reaches the child. At least this policing is required until the child "grows"!!

mouna said...

prashanth,
me, an old lady, am amused!!

srik,
yes, at the same time, influencing a child to develop bad characters is done by the environment, than by the genetic material..

Anonymous said...

ohh...ya the media has a major role in shaping the future of the younger generation...media in different forms captures the kids and without realising the practicality kids seem to believe in them....

i do agree in parents involvment...finally when the kid does something wrong...the blame goes to the parents...and they have to control their kids to certain level...

mouna said...

anon,
yes, the parents are held responible for what the children do..