Adults, Kids, and iPhones

Willie Nelson once joked, “…youngsters need to start thinking about what kind of world they are going to leave for me and Keith Richards…” I’ll admit it, just like all of you, I’ve taken my share of cheap shots at the younger generation and how they’re being raised and educated. But, as much as it pains me to admit it, I’m thinking I may have been dead wrong. I recently had the pleasure of spending a week with my 11 and 14-year-old granddaughters and had a lot of time for observing, asking questions, and listening to a variety of conversations. A common complaint is that kids are growing up too fast and I agree they are growing up faster than we did. But their social skills are far beyond prior generations, and they seem to adapt to change quicker and easier. Realistically, it’s just a survival skill, they’re simply keeping up with a fast-paced environment that changes almost daily. They have a laissez faire attitude towards race, ethnicity and religious differences in their peers and seem to have disregarded older prejudices and adult opinions on these matters. Are they wedded to their iPhones, computers and tablets? Absolutely, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing, its today’s world, like it or not. Their familiarity with operating systems and search capabilities are necessary tools to becoming productive adults. Controversy has swirled around what’s not being taught in today’s classrooms-no cursive writing, minimal emphasis on history, geography, social studies, and literature. What is being emphasized is math and science, the two skills required to function at a high level in today’s uber competitive world of medicine, business, and industry. I noticed several times over the week when adults were discussing something, one of the girls would grab their phone, do a quick search, and ask questions, or argue with the adults. Like it or not, an iPhone contains more available research information than all the libraries in the world combined. I’ve heard people say the danger of skimming over the more traditional courses will in effect leave a kid behind. I’m not sure that’s true because an interest in the humanities will be covered in far more depth at the college level if the student becomes interested in pursuing that field. Regarding reading skills, reading off a computer screen is the same as reading a textbook. As to cursive writing, when was the last time you used it? We sign the dinner check, send a note, buy a car, and seldom sign a hard document, anymore. So, after seeing a couple of well-adjusted kids, doing kid stuff, I’m going to finish eating my crow and then dig around and find an email address for Willy Nelson and Keith Richards, just to let them know they can relax, the kids are just fine…