The Present or the Future — When It Comes to Our Children, Which One Matters the Most? -

The age-old parenting debate: is it better to focus on our children’s time as children, or is it better to focus on their future and their lives as adults? Different parents, or just people in general whether they have children or not, will have different viewpoints regarding this.

Where this debate stems from is simple: do we allow our children to enjoy things that aren’t bettering their future development? Do we allow for them to spend time playing video games that offer no real advantage to them or don’t offer them the chance to learn anything instead of making them learn their alphabet or their numbers? In doing so we are keeping them entertained and happy in the present, but we could be slowing down their development in the school or having them enter school behind the other children in regards to what they know and how much they know. But there are ways in which fun and learning can be achieved at the same time through the use of learning tablets such as Leap Frog.These child-friendly tablets combine the idea of fun and learning in order to ensure that our children are able to enjoy periods of both when they are using such a device.

Similarly, when they are of school age there is a whole host of ways in which learning and the enjoyment of youth can be implemented at the same time — for a short time at least. For instance, there is a whole host of school field trip ideas that your child’s school could take them on that would mean that they are both enjoying themselves and remaining active in the present, as well as offering them memories to cherish and maybe even a career direction in the future. Activity getaways that offer up the chance for children to take part in activities such as Jacob’s Ladder, kayaking, rock climbing and even archery offer them the chance to enjoy themselves in the present and to possibly find a hobby, or even career, in the future. And in regards to their schooling, the reason your child might not be doing well at school is because of the fact that they are worrying about the impact negative test results may have on their future, which then means that both the present and the future are tarnished. Both instances show that a combination of precedence on both the present and the future should be sought whenever we deal with our children, in whatever circumstance.

What matters most in life: the present or the future? When it comes to our children, seemingly, it boils down to this: focusing too much on keeping our children happy in the present, although proving short-term joy for them and maybe even rest bite for us, is not doing anything to better their future; but focussing on their future is not something that is always achievable when the present isn’t being as fun, stimulating and stress-free as it could be. So, it’s important to future-proof your child as much as possible, but it’s also impossible to ignore the importance of the present.