Every generation has its own way of growing up. New ways of thinking come along, new technologies come into the mix, and the "average American childhood" changes. Many talk about the past as a time of purity and happiness for American children. Past decades were safer, simpler, and more wholesome. Fortunately for today's kids, a lot of advantages come along with the negative aspects of growing up in modern America.
One thing that bombards the average American kid today is a much greater amount of mental stimulation. It’s constant; with video games, television, and computers, most kids spend very little time without being stimulated. And while some of this "screen time" is considered to be negative by many (especially mothers and fathers who don't like the idea of their kids spending hours playing blood-and-guts video games), a lot of it is positive. With the access that today's children have to different activities, it's easier for modern kids to pursue and develop their interests than in the past.
Don't like the idea of your children spending house surfing the Internet? Look on the bright side: in the future, your kids will probably have a much easier time figuring out what they love than you did. Because following up on their interests and sharing them with others can happen with just the click of a button.
Of course, some negatives come along with this change in the way American children live their lives. And the biggest one is probably a lack of physical exercise. Because children today spend so much time indoors in front of a screen, they simply don't get as much exercise as they used to. This has lead to skyrocketing childhood obesity rates, which forces kids to grow up that much more quickly. Their lifestyle requires kids to be more conscientious than kids of the past, both about their health and their physical activity. And it's up to parents to help them make wise choices about what to do with their diet and their time.
Another thing that kids have today that most of their parents didn't is a great, and very healthy, level of diversity. In today's society, there is less and less room for prejudice, bigotry, or racism. Partly due to all that "screen time" and partly due to a constantly-expanding American culture, today's children are exposed to people of every race and culture, and learn a lot more than past children did about acceptance.
While American children of the past century may seem to have been gifted with perfect, happy childhoods, the truth is that each generation has something special all their own. Sure, most kids who grew up in the 50's and 60's didn't have to worry about their weight or whether or not their window was safely locked at night. However, neither did all American kids have the opportunities or freedoms that today's children have in spades. Today, children from every walk of life have the opportunity to make their dreams come true, no matter their race or gender. No door is closed to them. And that's not an advantage many kids would want to give up... even if it meant they could play kick the can in the street on a summer afternoon.
