Kids have never had it so easy, or as hard.
Between gadgets and a healthy cash flow in most households, kids can be kids for a long time. Playing games, chatting with friends on-line and not having to get a job when of age is quite a bit different than days not that long ago.
Only time will tell if this new elixir of “lots of stuff” will be good for kids longer term. A lot of character was developed historically by making do and rising to challenges.
The hard part for kids today involves the very tools that make it so fun. The internet and cell phone usage by young people provides a link to friends all the time. Some weekends we get a bit puzzled to have lived through our youth without such constant contact.
Like most things in life, there is a down side and that is such easy access to friends is a double-edged sword when cyber-bullying or taunting on-line starts.
Once the teasing starts, it can crescendo into a constant reminder that someone is literally out to get them. It is unnerving and for kids it can be devastating because it is no longer a few classmates or a class knowing your deal – it is the whole school, neighbourhood and world.
Incidences of suicide at the behest of on-line hecklers are plentiful. We are fortunate to have a pretty good dialogue with our teenagers and it is quite amazing what goes on. Some kids will “joke” and tell others that they should off themselves. This isn’t cool.
The dad in most of us has the inclination to march on over to the offender’s house and fix things up. But it is 2014. Interventions are now just a state matter; whether it is handled by the school board, a cadre of social teams or police organizations.
To their credit, the Ontario Provincial Police have the OPP KIDS program. Here kids have the opportunity to learn first-hand how to handle some of the troubles facing young kids today.
The world is not all sunshine and roses. Kids should learn about drug use whether prescription or illicit, alcohol use, peer pressure, and how to deal with on-line bullying and teasing. Apart from saying don’t do it, few parents are equipped to handle the sorts of topics that surface today. Sometimes a third-party is helpful.
If the coordinators of the KIDS program can make a connection and a lasting impression on kids to avoid trouble, residents are very well served.
