July 11th, 2022
Why is it a roadway to learning? What does curiosity have to do with learning? Why should you, the parent, care?
The simple answer is that curiosity often separates the explorer from the stationary. The trail blazer from the follower. Each one in and of themselves is ok and has value. The follower works in the right context. The explorer also works well in the right context. It would be impossible to have all of one and none of the other.
That being said, what is the point?
The point is simple. Is your child being hampered from exploring through curiosity and imagination because the passive default pathway of social media, gaming and streaming movies. If the answer to this question is yes, then you have an actionable place to intervene.
Again, whether your child becomes one archetype or the other, matters not. However, if the pathway is disrupted by passive existence, then there will be a loss of possibility. The flip side would also be an issue if everyone was unduly influenced down the curiosity only pathway.
I think back to my childhood and choice. My parents did not allow ad nauseam screen time. There was outdoor play mostly. There was the expectation that boredom was my problem. What I did with that time was up to me. Be curious? Maybe. Be passive? Maybe. It truly depended on the day, my food and friend exposure.
But, there was a choice to be made without the undue influence of the ubiquitous screen.
The modern world is a massive struggle for kids and parents because of the mobility of these passive devices allowing them to follow a child everywhere potentially hampering one side of the developmental process.
Be aware of this reality as your children start to have access to more and more screens.
Dr. M
