Reminiscing Childhood: It's something refreshing

The new generation of children are growing up differently than we did, completely differently. Instead of the anticipated after-school playground games, the new generation of children are opting to stay indoors in order to catch the latest episode of Supergirl or The Flash. 

Some days, we are just hit with a wind of nostalgia that remind us of our younger days : the schooling days. And man, it is amazing to see the comparison of 20 years ago to now. Times have definitely changed. Technology and social media are on a rise which unfortunately cause less and less human interaction.

The lack of human interaction is causing us to be more consumed with our online lives than our actual lives. With that being said, I know most of us do not want our children growing up too fast or skipping an essential part of their life : childhood.

We want our kids to run in the streets and play in the neighborhood, make friends with their classmates and neighbors as well as to fall and make mistakes on the way (so that they can learn from it). Sometimes, it is important for us to take some time out of our day, and play with our kids/nieces/nephews and cousins and teach them of the games that we used to play. This not only helps the kids in exploring the actual physical world around them but it also helps us, adults, to distress and to remind ourselves to let go and to have a little fun once in a while.

Here are some recommendations as to what you and your little one (your child/cousin/nephew or niece) can do together :

Play any sport in the street.

We all remember the days where any time a car came around, we had to stop a heated badminton match on the street. Remember when you didn’t need a court or a net. All you needed was a racket and a shuttlecock. Badminton is a classical Malaysian sport and how fun is it to mess around with badminton in front of your home? And it doesn’t need to be badminton, football is another fan favourite. Although when it comes to football, just be careful. You don’t want to accidentally hit someone’s car or house (that’s when you need to run). Apart from that, you can play a whole lot of games : pepsi cola or hopscotch or running tag. All you need in effort and an open space.

Take a walk in the park

It may sound like a prehistoric tradition but believe it or not, parks still exist in our country! We have a bunch of parks or little walkways in each little neighbourhood. Instead of having your kid being eaten by the sofa, take the kids out to the park. Have a little walk. You empower them to pursue a more active lifestyle as well as you’re becoming much healthier. More fresh air, more sunlight. None of that harmful light that comes off of television screens or laptops (when we’re on them for too long).

Picnic!

A picnic is a great idea! It’s quaint and cutesy but it does not require all that much effort. It is a shame as to the lack of picnics that people take nowadays. Pack up your favourite homemade foods or store-bought foods. Lay down a little tablecloth to sit and eat out with your family. Detach from the internet world and the digital life for a little while. Enjoy the nature that Allah (s.w.t) has blessed onto us. Take some time to talk to your kids and see where they are at in their life. Reconnect with your reality.

In this day and age of technology (which is not a negative thing), we need to strive to highlight the importance of human interaction. Before it all, we only came into this world with each other (humans). We did not have tools or equipment. All we had was each other. Therefore, we must learn to value the importance of human relations (conversations and so on). And that is something we must pass onto our children as well.