Every generation is different from the ones that preceded it and the ones that will follow it. Circumstances change, societies move on, trends shift and what was not important today becomes vital tomorrow, and vice-versa.

The way the world is moving indicates that generational shifts are taking place at a faster rate than what used to happen some time ago.

What remains the same is peer pressure and the innate feeling among the younger people of being invincible, their being carefree and adventurous, and their belief that they can transform the world into a better place.

Whether this really happens is debatable. Is today's world better than it was 25 years ago? Will the world be better in 2050 than it is today?

Older people will argue that, when they were children, they discovered "everything in nothing" - a doll made from unwanted rags, a football made from crumpled newspapers or so much fun in a simple game of hide and seek. Those who lived and survived the war probably did not even have that much.

Conversely, the children of today find "nothing in everything"; an expensive toy is discarded quickly and the new computer or video game gives a few hours of pleasure until boredom sets in. Do they still play hide and seek? It has become a world where everything is disposable, possibly even human emotions.

There's a Maltese saying that goes: "Kemm konna ahjar meta konna aghar" (We were better off when we were worse off). It's not far from the truth.

Open spaces

A survey among school children held some time ago found that the majority of them would like to have more open spaces.

Most of them said they wished to have more places for them to practise sport activities which would give them an alternative to staying at home.

But, is this really so? Do today's children really want open spaces to use up their energy, or do they want them to sit on benches while fiddling with their mobile phones, playing on their tablets and taking selfies to post on the social media?

The transformation this country has undergone in the last decades has been dramatic and, it must be admitted, it has not favoured the new generations.

Not too long ago, children played in the streets, where traffic was limited and bike-riding was not dangerous, where garage doors served as football posts and where meeting places and times were pre-arranged from the day before as no mobile phones existed and landline connections were few and expensive.

Children hurried to finish their homework so as to possibly enjoy an hour of sunlight out with friends in the neighbourhood. When it rained, indoor board games were popular. Weekends offered more time for such gatherings, while summers were mostly spent at the beach, with little care for the harm that could be caused by the sun's hot rays.

Little by little, the open space was eaten up. The streets have become a traffic nightmare, making it impossible for them to be converted into makeshift playgrounds. As time went by, more and more children moved indoors, remaining connected via the modern means of communications, but living a more sedentary life. Those who do some kind of exercise do so in controlled environments such as football nurseries and dance classes.

Many parents say they have to rush from one place to another after school hours to provide some entertainment time for their kids. Those who cannot make it turn to their own parents - the nannus and nannas - to take over a trip or two. Or perhaps they take turns with a neighbour in the same predicament.

Parents who work

These days we have many families with two working parents.

It does not give them too much time to spend with their own children.

There are long hours at work and, even when the parents are at home, many of them are still in working mode.

Having mobile phones and laptops which keeps one "connected" at any time adds to the number of working hours, perhaps unknowingly. Many keep checking their phones for emails that may have come in. Just notice how many people have a phone in their hand even when they are eating out, at the beach or having a walk by the sea. Others can't resist opening the laptop to do something work connected even on days off or in what is supposedly free time.

When this type of communication was invented, many were happy that they could work from home, or from anywhere, if there is a connection. But what, on the surface, is a means to facilitate workers has ended up adding to their stress. Many, today, cannot make a distinction between working hours and the rest of the day (and night too, in some cases).

Most parents start their parenthood with the best of intentions - spending quality time with their kids. But they soon find out that it does not work because of the many commitments they have, especially if both of them have a job. So it's easy to keep them quiet by switching on the TV and, when they are old enough, giving them hand-held technology for them to pass the time.

It's a vicious circle. Open spaces have been reduced to such an extent that children do not play outdoors anymore (unless, as said earlier, in a controlled environment). Parents who work have little time to spend with their children. And so children are growing up with tablets and mobile phones as if they are an extension of their arms and do not "waste" their energy outdoors.

Then we wonder why many children are obese before they start their teenage years.

Sandwich generation

The expression applies to middle-aged people who are still supporting their children financially and with one or both parents needing assistance in whatever form, including physical and emotional.

Torn between needing to be there for their children who are still to find their own home and still fully or partly financially dependent on them, and a parent or two who requires attention because of old age, these 40- to 60-year olds struggle to find time for themselves and also to nurture their own relationship.

Many work one or two jobs to make ends meet, with the added stress of having to see to the needs of their children and own parent/s who rely on them for many reasons. If, then, their job/s require/s more than normal hours of input, they are left with little time for their personal requirements. It's easy to think that this situation could negatively affect their own relationships, maybe even leading to break-ups.

One last thought - we all grew up with stories that ended "and they lived happily ever after". At some stage in our early years many of us thought that we would have fairy-tale lives where all hurdles could be overcome.

When we grew up, we all realised that we were misled, and that life is so much different from what we were led to believe.

One can argue that if children are not allowed to dream that their lives will be perfect, then it will be no childhood at all. The problem is that when those dreams end the shock to the system is difficult to overcome.