I recently wrote my thoughts on how I long for The Simple Life over on Smartly. Writing this made me think about the state of the world now, the bad economy, and how something good just may come out of the times we are in. We all tend to look on the bad side. And, don’t get me wrong…there are not-so-great things about our economy today. However, maybe some good can come out of it – in terms of people, appreciation, and family.
Face it people, the world has gotten out of control, without even realizing it. One want leads to another. One purchase to another. And, I am not just talking credit card debt as all the news broadcasters remind us of regularly. I am talking family values, real-life living, and happiness. Over the years the world has changed and happiness has evolved, judged on materialistic objects and wants.
Where I live in the northern part of the country, growing up in-ground pools were a luxury – not for the average person. In recent years more and more pools have appeared. And, not just pools…pool houses too. Gigantic luxurious play sets are the norm in backyards. Remember when going to the playground at the park was a treat? Well, now kids have it all, and then some, in their own yards. Twisty slides, bounce houses, spray grounds right in their back yards. Why go to the playground? Parties, parties, and more parties. Celebrations for everything – or should I say for everything unnecessary. Not for the right reasons. Extravagant annual all-out-blasts for children’s birthday parties with live animals and clowns. Sweet sixteen celebrations all decked out like weddings. What happened to just getting together with people for nothing other than well, getting together. No plans. No treats. No nothing other than being together.
Will the state of our economy wake us up and make us realize what is really important? Back to pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, yard sprinklers, and playgrounds? Back to appreciating what we have in life and not what we want? Back to loving what we have and not longing for what we don’t have?
Do you think the simple life will ever be back or is it just a part of our history?
{ 20 comments }
I think “the simple life” is a part of our history. What kids think of as “simple” , now, is different from what you’ve presented here. One can no longer play “pin the tail on the donkey” with a gluey substance on a donkey tail – it must be velcro to stick better, or better yet – be some sort of electronic pin the tail on the donkey game.
I suppose it’s possible, if presented the right way, that the “clothespin in the milk bottle” games could return – I can imagine kids wanting to play them as a novel alternative to the Event Celebrations that are so prevalent now. I’m awfully tired of the expense involved in bowling/swimming/theme park/etc.birthday parties for kids – especially when they happen EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
I’m with you. Can we just get together for cake and ice cream?
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Duck- Duck- Goosed =-.
Love the return to the simple life. When my DD use to watch the sweet sixteen show…it repulsed me that such events went on for that occasion. We socialize with a group of friends and the kids are usually included in the events. Kids now range from high school to college age. We enjoy hanging out and playing the simple game of charrades. We usually play the “kids” against the adults or the girls vs the boys. We can amuse ourselves for hours and it is hilariously funny. No money involved:) Yes, I agree birthday parties and social events have gotten out of control. I personally prefer to keep it simple…as does my pocketbook:)
.-= ZippyChix´s last blog ..Homework Horror =-.
I think the “simple life” is generational in perspective, at least in part.
I’d venture to say that our parents felt we lived a life (albeit humble to us looking back) that was markedly more posh than their childhoods were (my parents were born at the end of the Depression).
Now that we have kids of our own, we’re feeling that same way.
It’s not to say that I don’t wish things would change. I do. I actually ache for it sometimes. I want to give all this up and move to a little old shack in Italy.
.-= gigi´s last blog ..Photography Tips To Enhance Your Blog =-.
I think that living simpler lives would be great – I was really feeling this way last night as I was attempting to clean my preschooler’s room. The bedroom is filled with toys, many of which I would be more than happy to just get rid of. Most of them were gifts from birthday parties, Christmas, and also hand me downs from older kids.
It’s also not just a “kid” problem but we have this problem all throughout our house. So much stuff that we don’t use and just sits there collecting dust and taking up space. I have gone through certain areas of our home and gotten rid of large amounts of unnecessary items – and it felt GREAT! There is just so much more left.
I know what you mean about the birthday parties too. I know one family with two kids in school who go to birthday parties nearly every weekend, some weekends they have multiple birthday parties. One of their children even complains about having to go to birthday parties. That really says something.
.-= Stacy´s last blog ..Discovering Happiness =-.
I think it will come back around eventually, but only by the invention of much more complex lives. That old timey simple life is probably a thing of the past for most people living right now.
.-= Joey @ Big Teeth & Clouds´s last blog ..The hearing loss excuse =-.
I want to believe there will be a revolt of sorts that will send a good chuck of the population back to living more simply and less extravagantly. Once we get out of this foreclosure hole, I think a lot of people won’t be handed credit for a very, very long time.
.-= liz´s last blog ..Seven Less-Admitted Signs You Are A Blogger =-.
Yes, the bad economy has had an upside for us too.
We cut back on going out to dinner with friends and now invite them over for a simple back yard bbq, where we can talk to each other and let all the kids play together. Our social life has never been better! We cut back on going out to breakfast on the weekends and now my husband makes a better breakfast than any we could buy at the hippest of joints.
We decided not to send our son to a private pre-school (that he wasn’t exactly enjoying) and found out that a local public school offers a free pre-school. He’s been going for three weeks and loves it!
I could go on, but yes, I’m counting my blessings and making lemonade with life’s economic lemon’s.
Cheers!
J.
.-= J is a Bird´s last blog ..45 and counting =-.
Hmmm…I think our family still sort of lives a simple life. Well, we’ve got our computers and cell phones (except for my youngest), so life is more complicated in that way, but we’ve never been big buyers and consumers. We have old furniture, old electronics (I still actually “tape” shows on a VCR!), old cars. I think we’re the only ones in our neighborhood without a lawn service. I wonder, if all of our “extra” money didn’t go toward medical expenses, if we’d be more like that, but I don’t know. Our big priority is vacations and travel – if we had more money, I think we would travel more rather than buy more.
We have always gone all-out for our kids’ birthday parties, but not in a high-spending sort of way….more in a creative way.
So, back to your question…no, I don’t think our society is going back to simpler times, despite some of the simple living trends. It’s not just the bigger spending. I think a bigger impact is technology. People want to be connected all the time now – smart phones, Twitter, WiFi. I haven’t given in to some of this yet – I still have a basic old cell phone with no data plan – but I am awfully attached to my laptop and home WiFi!!
Sue
You know…I look around our house and see TOYS, Toys, Toys!! I admit…we have too much. Our kids really have too much. I think scaling back is certainly a thing we (our family) needs to do right now. Besides, being together is all our kids want anyway…all this other “stuff” just gets in the way.
The simple life is sounding good to me.
.-= Melissa (Confessions of a Dr.Mom)´s last blog ..The Picky Eaters Club =-.
I agree with Sue. I think technology has changed us more than the economy. But, I hope that simplifying and scaling back will be more than just a passing trend.
.-= Mama Zen´s last blog ..Weighty Issues =-.
Girl! I’ve been wanting to write about this for so long! But you said it best.
Since my husband & I married, we were searching for a “simpler life” for our children. We were blessed in finding a home where we can do just that. Yes we have the amenities that I never had as a child. But we also know when to pull those amenities away from our children on the first sign of complacency. We’ll pull the plug on the TV, the computer, and trash the toys just to get them to appreciate the beauty of what is real in their surroundings.
I agree with the comment above that society still salivates for what new technology will make life more convenient. But ultimately, as a parent, if I don’t teach my kids to stop relying on a touch of a button, or a swipe of a card, then the “spimple life” will be part of history. I plan on making it a significant part of my family, and their day to day reality.
Jen
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Karma =-.
I agree with Gigi, ‘simple’ has different meanings for different generations. But what I hope for our kids is the ‘simple life’ we experienced in our generation. Simple things like playing at the park with other kids. It’s near extinct in this generation because of consoles and all kinds of technological advancements most commented. Sad but curable
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Benefits of Parenting Education =-.
thanks to the economy and my recently losing my job, i had to shut off my teens phones and I can’t tell you what a blessing it’s been. they actually WANT to chat with mom now, true, it’s out of boredom, but still, I take what I can get!
Good post.
.-= vanita´s last blog ..What Im doing for the Dove Self-Esteem Weekend =-.
I “revive” some simple custom from the past at each of my daughter’s b-day parties and the kids just LOVE it! We’ve pinned donkey tails, written on sidewalks with chalk, done water balloons and gone tree climbing.
it’s all good – we’ll keep it alive…I know it!
Swati
.-= swati Bharteey´s last blog ..Organize Your Life – Get 3 Months Free at Plumlifecom! =-.
This is true indeed. We want more than we can afford. Getting back to enjoying some simple things are good. But I still enjoy many finer things. Guess it’s the American way….:)
I think the pendulum is swinging back in the other direction. People have spent and bought and pushed for material thing, but not found any true connection or happiness. I think the generation coming up is seeing that and may keep the pendulum swinging back toward spiritual fulfillment versus monetary fulfillment.
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..QOTD- Tacos =-.
I’ve tried to scale back. To make my kids appreciate some of the little things and not only the electronic things. It is a tough battle, though.
I also think you have to have perspective to understand the “new simple.” Our lives were quite different from our parents and so on. Simple for our kids will be different than simple was for us. As it is with every generation.
Glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. I still have my computer, cell phone, etc. But I refuse to buy the huge playset for my back yard. What’s wrong with the little swing-set (3 swings and a glider)? Do you really need more? I have no pool, no plans for one either. Heck, I don’t even have cable or satellite. And the huge parties? I can do without those too. I sort of long for those “simpler days” where a birthday party was the birthday girl/boy, their cousins/aunts/uncles/siblings/a neighbor kid or two, and it was simple cake & ice cream.
It’s nice to see the current generation being told “No” and “Sorry, but we can’t give this to you.” Now that they’re all grown up they’re having to actually act like grown ups and make grown-up decisions. No more entitlement for them!
My boys have been blessed (though we don’t have an in-ground pool). We had Homemade surprise 16th birthday parties (all parties were homemade). We’ve tried to teach our kids to want but give them security and opportunities that maybe we didn’t have.
With one graduated from college and married and the youngest in 4th grade, and the economy the way it is, I do not think our children as adults will have the same prosperity that we had. As a result, they will learn to struggle more, but not through their childhood, rather through their adulthood. I do think ultimately, they will return to a simpler life with simpler expectations because the lack of jobs and high salaries.
.-= bluecottonmemory´s last blog ..Christmas Tree Huggers =-.
Oh how I wanna go back… but unfortunately I can’t and neither will our society. The simple life is as far gone now as the 1950s and the toothpaste is out of the tube and can’t be put back.
Happy New Year!
.-= Kara Kelsey´s last blog ..How to Buy MORE with Less =-.
{ 1 trackback }