Role of Children in Changing World - Essay Example

Running Head: Ideas about Children Ideas about Children [Institute’s Ideas about Children Introduction Fro the past few decades the world has witnessed changes in almost every aspect of the life. Despite the fact that globalization (the process with which the world gets closer), technically, has been happening throughout the human history but it reached its all-possible peak during the past few decades. Without any doubts, human growth has shown an exponential trend, which means the rate of growth compounds over the period. It took almost thousands of years for the first man on earth to learn how to cook and build a home but today every new discovery leads to a new chapter in the human history. Therefore, we as humans have reached to that part of evolution where, in terms of growth, development, and change, we are reaching unstoppable limits. Therefore, the world is a changed place and it changes so quickly that at times it becomes difficult for actually grasp, map, and link those changes. Quite understandably, children are not isolated from this process of change and they are experiencing this phenomenon (Buckingham & Willett, pp. 79-82, 2006). However, more importantly, these are the ideas and perceptions of people about children which they are adjusting which the changed environmental scenario. This explains why children are becoming an important subject in various disciplines like sociology, psychology, English literature, and philosophy. This paper aims at looking the changes of conceptions about children over the period, the reasons for the same, specifically the role of media in it and the implications of these changes. Discussion There was no history of childhood or children, expect for “centuries of childhood” by Philippe Aries in 1960, around forty to fifty years back (Handel, Cahill, & Elkin, pp. 14-19, 2006). Only people with high intellectual abilities, holding high political offices, artists, musicians, celebrities and other were the center of the sociological history writing. However, with the passage of time, things change and the study of children and childhood was receiving increased attention from various writers and experts (Buckingham & Willett, pp. 79-82, 2006). Despite the fact that there are many reasons for the same but the paper would move on by highlighting a few of those. As mentioned earlier in the paper the human development and globalization ahs a lot to do with this change. Five or may be six decades ago children were seen as more like submissive to the orders of parents and their elders (Fass, pp. 35-39, 2007). It were the parents who had complete authority over their lives and decisions and children, despite the fact that they are always too young to make decisions, but still were not considered in this process at all. If we analyze very carefully and logically, keeping aside the emotional biasness parents and children actually enjoy a give a give and take relationship (Foley, Roche & Tucker, pp. 23-38, 2001). Parents assume the responsibility of raising, feeding and making their children financially stable and children in return silently assure that they would take care of their parents during their old age in the same way the parents did (Handel, Cahill, & Elkin, pp. 14-19, 2006). This explains why many societies prefer boys to girls since there is better chance that boys would stay with their parents and take care of them. However, with increased exposure to media adults and youth have rebelled to this traditional role because since with media and influence of other factors they realize that they have the other option of having an independent and separate life once they have the capacity of doing it so (Fass, pp. 35-39, 2007). However, since parents do not like it they now try their level best to engage their children in discussion, activities and try to take their viewpoints more often (Handel, Cahill, & Elkin, pp. 14-19, 2006). More importantly, people now perceive and think that children should get more freedom, autonomy, and attention from the parents because they realize the importance of their investment. In addition, the recent over the past years has indicated that childhood is the most crucial and sensitive time of an individual’s life. Research has indicated that whatever people learn during their childhood remains there with them throughout their life. Children exposed to violence, terrorism, anger, hostility, anger and enmity may spend their whole lives with these negative energies inside them (Crain, pp. 106-116, 2004). The worst-case scenario is when they exert these negative forces outside. In the same way, children that witness discipline, mutual understanding, peace, friendship, harmony, and sympathy around them are more likely to give the world the same during their coming years. Therefore, not only parents but also other social stakeholders have put a lot of emphasis on providing children with proper, peaceful, and productive environment during their childhood since childhood has become a more sensitive period than it was ever before (Handel, Cahill, & Elkin, pp. 14-19, 2006). Parents are spending more times in setting up the rooms of their children. Schools invest heavily towards preparing healthy, colorful, and meaningful environment around the children. More and more parents are attending workshops, activity sessions and reading books for understanding the psychology of their children. In short, a recent perception that has developed about childhood is about its sensitivity. Another factor that has influenced children study and childhood relates to increasing concern about labor shortage in the upcoming years. Different economics now understand that in the next 30 to 40 years they will face intense labor shortage. Many European countries and countries like China and Japan now that their economic sustainability and leaderships and influence would go away if they would not have an even better generation to take over. Not only would they have to maintain the quality but also the quantity. That explains why these countries are investing heavy in education, early childhood development, treatment, and health of children, importance of childhood treatment and others. Moreover, these countries are also focusing on persuading women to increase their pregnancy rates and wish to give birth to children. This has also increased the concern about the childhood in various countries. Moreover, it is the increasing pressure from the outside that ahs changed everything. People now find themselves overloaded with work, tensions, pressures, and demands of their work, family roles, and others. Life is a complicated and difficult affair for anyone living in the 21st century. Therefore, people these days treasure their childhood because they have realized that childhood is the only time of innocence, tensionlessness, non-stressful life, and peace. Therefore, people now want their children to live their fully during their childhood so that they do not regret as most of the people miss and regret not enjoying their childhood to their fullest (Foley, Roche & Tucker, pp. 23-38, 2001). As mentioned in the introductory part as well that media has played an important role in changing these perceptions about children. As the film industry of west grew, many films took children as their lead roles trying to prove the point that they can actually perform better than what people think capabilities are (Hill & Tisdall, pp. 52-59, 1997). These films have actually made the people to believe that children also can possess high intellectual and mental capacities and they can perform unusual tasks as well. Moreover, media has also made children learn a lot. Children are now no more ordinary. They are living in a digital age and they are “digital children” of this digital age. Quite understandably, they have access to more facilities, communication methods; they witness greater cultural diversity around them, more happenings around them and their world is in their hands due to various gadgets that they have (Crain, pp. 106-116, 2004). From these various digital sources, these children are exposed to more aspects of life. Therefore, these children are increasingly aware of the outside world. Since they face a lot if information since the very early days, they have a higher ability to grasp things, remember them, analyze, and critically evaluate them (Crain, pp. 106-116, 2004). It was easy to fool children of the past but it is not the same today. In fact, children these days even understand their value and constantly somewhat blackmail their parents for their demands. Moreover, we have been bale to come up with various definitions of children in various disciplines. According to the biological context, “a child is a person, girl, or boy, between birth and puberty” (Hill & Tisdall, pp. 52-59, 1997). The sociological definition of a child implies that it has to be “an individual regarded as strongly affected by another or by a specified time, place, or circumstance” (Hill & Tisdall, pp. 52-59, 1997). In addition, the sociological definition very much depends upon the immature and dependent characteristic of the child. Sociologists often the point of lacking of the ability to make decisions as a characteristic of a child. Furthermore, this gives the basic for the legal experts to form their definition of what is a child. According to legal experts, a child is someone legal offspring who is at least fourteen years or under. It is also important to note that many countries do not consider people between the ages of 14-18 as children and they are considered as “minor.” The second half of the 20th century witnesses comprehensive legislation, rule, and regulation forming for different aspects of life. Governments felt the need of extensive law forming for the protection and security of everyone. Governments soon realized that they would have to include children also in their legislation as well in order to protect their rights since they themselves cannot claim it (Foley, Roche & Tucker, pp. 23-38, 2001). With increased legislation about children rights at both home and school, guardians, elders, schoolteachers had to careful about what they are doing. Therefore, this further increased the sensitivity of understanding childhood as an important affair. These new concepts can also be studied in the light of social constructionism. It actually refers to the sociological theories, which attempts to explore that how social phenomenon and practices develop in any social context, environment, or practice. References Buckingham, David, & Willett, Rebekah. (2006). Digital generations: children, young people, and new media. Routledge. Crain, William C. (2004). Reclaiming Childhood: Letting Children Be Children in Our Achievement-Oriented Society. Henry Holt. Fass, Paula S. (2007). Children of a new world: society, culture, and globalization. NYU Press. Foley, Pam., Roche, Jeremy, & Tucker, Stanley. (2001). Children in society: contemporary theory, policy, and practice. PALGRAVE. Handel, Gerald, Cahill, Spencer, & Elkin, Frederick. (2006). Children and Society: The Sociology of Children and Childhood Socialization. Oxford University Press. Hill, Malcolm, & Tisdall, Kay. (1997). Children and society. Longman. Read More