Tara Laro Tayo!(Let's Play!)

The Good Old Days

"Ma? Can I go out and play? Please!?" that's the first thing you'll hear from me when I was a child after I have my break fast during weekends, I always rush to my cousin's house on my bike, since I'm an only child, seeking company of other kids, I often hang around either on my cousin's house or some of our childhood friends' house just to bug them to play with me, we would play all day, regardless of the weather, regardless whether we get dirty, scratched knees and torn shorts and dirty clothes. Life was one hell of a big adventure for us during those days, we would wander through rice fields, bathe in the river, climb trees five or maybe eight times our height, catch bugs just to give to the girls to scare and piss them off; my personal favorite was catching fireflies when they're in season, I love putting them inside a jar just to watch them glimmer during the pitch black night. We will bathe in the rain when it's pouring, or sweat like pigs during the summer. Our skin sun kissed tanned, but we don't care, all that matters is the ball should stay on the air. When one of us is sick, we head over to his or her house, bringing our toys so we could play about, marbles, action figures, and sometime Chinese garters, those don't matter since we're drowned in laughter. Those were the days, how I wonder, what about now?

Nowadays, the Present of our Future

Nowadays, you hardly see children playing outside the house, if you can see some, those are the less fortunate ones with nothing to play with but their siblings and other less unfortunate kids or neighbors. Sure, some kids do play outside, but what are the percentage between those who go out and those who prefer to stay inside. Most don't even know what piko is, or tumbang preso, patintero or piso-piso. Many kids grow weak, some with unsteady feet. I think mainly exercise is the key. They hardly run, or sweat or scratch their knees, sure they are safe from infections but what about their immunity? Some even suffer from spine injuries, due to prolonged bowing or looking down at their gadgets. So, as a father myself, I do my part, bringing the kids once in a while to the park. Watching them run like the wind, or hang like monkeys on the monkey bar, brings out the child in me that's slumbering inside. I let them feel the earth, the breeze and the rain, I let them know that if there's no pain, there's no gain. I always tell them, there's no wrong with gadgets, in fact those are good, what is wrong is how we use it and there should always be a limit.

Gadgets. The Good and The Bad

Honestly I think gadgets are good, for me it helps me with my everyday life. In this day and age, I can't imagine anyone who can live without a cellphone, or a tablet. I must admit, I can't live without my desktop, you folks must be wondering why not laptop, that's because I prefer to modify and tinker. Gadgets are good if used in a good way, like calculators to a store, or a mobile phone to an Uber driver, or laptop to an author, sure gadgets are one of the finest things humans had created, but what I find bad is how we abuse it, I must admit I sometimes(okay! Often times!) stay up late until two in the morning, and there are even some cases 'till sunrise, those are the things that we should avoid. Like what most gun enthusiasts say "it's not the gun that kills, but the person behind, that's pulling the trigger.", same goes with gadgets, it's not the gadget or the games that brings us harm, it's the person who abuses themselves. So no matter the generation I can safely say, that kids need to play, but please play in a nice way, too much of everything is bad, you should always stay in moderation. As for my kids? Of course I let them play. After school they're obliged to do their home works first, then afterwards they're free to play with their tablets or toys, for I still believe "all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy!".

Credits:
photo 1: http://2016.mb.com.ph/2016/02/11/larong-pinoy/
photo 2: http://www.chercabulasmindbox.com/2012/05/on-technology-gadgets-and-life.html
photo 3: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/136164-best-10-gadgets-for-entertainment-on-the-go