UK Children Unhappy

[Rude Boy]

They're probably pissed off because by the time they leave home they'll be looking at ?400,000 for a modest flat and about five grand a month to run a car!!

[Sam Slater]

That's because these stupid childrens tv channels constantly feed them with advertisements of 'must have' toys and gadgets. Exercise is good for mood as well, as is social interaction.

Don't blame the kids my friend. They're being brought up in a society where advertising is reminding them of every toy they haven't got, while they're sat at the tv by their parents with video games which don't teach them the essentials of social interaction, picking up such things as body/face language recognition, how to interact with different people in different settings and moods etc etc. They're finding it harder to read other peoples minds, and how to express their own.

Studies in the past have shown that due to hormonal changes during puberty, certain parts of the brain are actually shut down. These are the social networking parts. Teenagers therefore are less likely to read subtle changes of mood in their parents and friends that a 9 year old could pick up easily. They learnt it as a child, lose it though puberty, and remember it again once fully developed. We all know teenage frustration, and this modern lifestyle will mean very young children being very inexperienced in such skills.

Top this off with all the 'E' numbers, caffeine and sugar in their food, and no wonder they're growing up fatter, less healthy, socially inept and depressed.

Stupid as it may sound, African children who are HIV positive and hungry are dealing more with a physical need, and their situation makes communities bond together more tightly. Emotionally they have more support! To prove this you only have to ask people who lived through the blitz. Most say it was a hard life, but they were actually quiet happy and found it brung communities and people together.

Humans are social creatures, and this spread through the gene pool because we're an animal who cannot look after itself alone. We need groups to survive. In times of war or danger the need for 'groups' and 'bonding' is ever stronger.

Long term peace and prosperity leaves more people in less need of social interaction. Though we're not concious of it, it leads to more depression. Mothers of 2 are more likely to be depressed than mothers of 6 with the grand parents living with them!!!

It's one of the things lesser developed societies have right, that we do not.

[one eyed jack]

Damn Rudey, do kids think that far ahead these days??? I read somewhere that provoked my htought that there is too much informtion everywhere these days.

Information overload can also be a problem if you are bombarded with so many htings every day. This leads to stress related symptoms.

I'll give you an example, back in the day before the internet and mobile phones, there was the simple phone that when you left the house you were out of touch with everybody until you got back home or to a phone box...And thats just for starters

[Rude Boy]

"Damn Rudey, do kids think that far ahead these days???"

Probably not and I hope they don't because it really would freak them out. I suppose when I was a kid I would have been crushed by the knowledge that a decent house was going to set me back ?65,000 or whatever it was for a nice gaff back then (Not THAT long ago!). I had things like Star Wars, my BMX bike, metal bands and an embryonic interest in hot looking girls to take my mind off grown-up's stuff! In those days my dream car was a Ford Capri Ghia!! Good days actually.

[Sam Slater]

[quote]Think I would rather have the knowledge that bombs are not dropping all around me and I could die at any moment though[/quote]

Consciously yes, but unconsciously? Just surviving another day in some societies is an achievement, while in the West you can be well educated, feed your family easily, take holidays abroad, and have cable tv but still feel like a failure. People would rather be rich and miserable, rather than poor and miserable, but success and happiness aren't entwined.

I seriously think kids need to experience all emotions to become a fully rounded adult. It's not just experiencing emotions but learning how to deal with them as a child.

Stress and depression don't kill, it's a persons ability to deal with them that decides how their life goes.

[Mojo]

Not to mention being treated like assemby line products in school.

[Marino]

I think they should all be poked with a shitty stick