Guest Blog by Poet & Author of Heart on Her Sleeve

We are delighted to continue hosting the raw, fearless voice of one of our published poets, a passionate author, radio presenter, and performer based in East Yorkshire. Her debut collection, Heart on Her Sleeve, published by our imprint: Enigma Press, was just the beginning of her outspoken and emotionally resonant work.

In this latest blog post, she offers a deeply personal reflection on the challenges today’s children face, from the pressures of the education system to the overpowering influence of technology and gaming culture. These are her views, shared honestly and without dilution.

We believe in the power of words to provoke conversation, challenge complacency, and bring about change. As always, we invite you to reflect, engage, and share your own thoughts.

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I’m delighted to be continuing my blog spot with Partnership Publishing. Who am I? A quick reminder: I am a passionate poet, writer, author, radio presenter, host and performer based in East Yorkshire. My debut poetry collection “Heart on Her Sleeve” is published by Partnership Publishing, Enigma Press.

Easter was late, wasn’t it! It will soon be time for the children to be off school again for spring bank, so I thought I would link this blog to my thoughts and feelings on the educational system, gaming and how society is affecting children’s lives drastically.

As always, let me know your thoughts; I would love to hear them. If we don’t share our words, we lose our voice; we lose our right to personal opinion, and from my experience, sharing our words could help another person in need of support. Every voice counts.

Are we losing childhood for today’s children? I believe we are – the internet – the access to smartphones, social media, gaming and so on. We only have to look around in our own communities to see how little children now play in the street because they have been ‘trained’ to use devices to suit adults’ needs – look at family meals out these days, glued to their screens, no family dynamics. The knock-on effect on children’s physical, psychological and sociological health and well-being is striking, with many children having no exercise for both mind and body health, contributing to the rise in childhood obesity and its sequelae. Every day we hear that children are anxious, depressed, and at risk of self-harm and suicide because of the torments of a controlling educational system, a society that expects children to act like adults, a lack of access to mental health support services, propaganda and scaremongering, and let's not leave the elephant in the room out... the impact of open access to the internet, gaming devices and social media.

As a mum I have witnessed so many worrying examples of children in the age group of 8-11 accessing information on the internet; watching horror films, films about abduction and child harm, violence, homophobic commentary and sexualised content – how can we protect our own children when other parents’ children allow access to these themes? I’ve seen time and time again the fear, anxiety and embarrassment caused. These children are children. Is our society expecting children to be adults for their own convenience? Why are young girls being encouraged to wear lingerie a woman may choose to wear as part of her own sexuality or mini-me outfits that are adult female style? Why are boys expected to ‘’man up’’ and not wear bright coloured underpants without shame?

What is an almighty challenge is the online gaming platforms and the age restrictions, which are blatantly ignored by parents because their child says another child has access to it… they appear to cave in. Normalising behaviour becomes the norm, despite the behaviour being abnormal. I don’t need to preach about how hackable some of these game platforms are in addition to the most graphic and hideously violent nature of some of them. It wasn’t long back that I heard a clip from an Among Us YouTube video referring to what the game is about… one person is the imposter who may ‘kill or rape’ one of the others – this was a video I understand made by 3 brothers all under the age of 14 – available to all. You have to have eyes and ears in the back of your heads. What I don’t understand is why parents are so complicit and unbothered.

School environments are often rigid; those that need flexibility, time, understanding, and additional support get lost along the way in a system that fits a type of expected student, aka ‘’the good student’’. Emphasis on the creative arts and practical skills are overlooked, with some children not having enough access to drama, music, home economics, or physical education. Too much stress on academic subjects with no light in the heavy darkness these subjects can create for many children is a travesty.

My eldest was expected to read books at home on a computer-based book scheme every night. We have books in hand; we love books. The last thing we should be doing is placing our kids in front of more screens, especially when screens are well known to disturb sleep patterns. I decided immediately we would continue reading our own books if school were not willing to send him home with a proper book in hand. Fortunately, that scheme didn’t last long, but who comes up with these ideas!?

Education has lost its child-focused approach; many of my dear friends who are retired teachers (or still working) within this challenging system are dismayed at the frank loss of childhood and the need for play all children so desperately need to cope and survive in a very adult world.

I feel like I am seriously moaning; I guess I am. Our children are the future; if we cannot look after them appropriately, why have them at all? What would I like to see?

Legislation that protects children regarding online gaming/access to appropriate content. Children need to be protected from toxic smartphone applications such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp chat groups and so on. Have I complained to school about my child being bullied and mocked in such applications? Yes. However, school can do nothing except promote appropriate approaches to parenting, which often fall on deaf ears. There needs to be legislation that can be pursued legally; maybe parents may wake up and smell the coffee as to what they are allowing their children to become involved in. Yes, this is the most unpopular talk, isn’t it? But it raises the issue of how we are massively failing children – I ask again, if you can’t parent safely, attentively, and lovingly, why have children if they are so inconvenient and hard work to look after?

The educational system needs a reset; we have a wealth of super teachers that are being lost to the broken system, similarly to what is happening to clinicians in the NHS. Listen to these professionals; it’s not about control, it’s not about ego, and it’s not about superiority. It’s about children’s health and well-being; let’s STOP making them child zombies to fit an incredibly misogynistic narrative. My final words: please don’t be complicit in this.

Child Zombies (October, 2024)

Our children

We choose to have them

We are responsible for their upbringing,

access to education and their welfare

Our children

Are lost in a world

That brainwashes the masses

Including these young fragile

minds

Our children

Our joys and proudest achievements to date

To become a parent

A mighty role, not for the faint hearted...

Our children

Vacant

Attached to the tablet, the phone, the gaming devil device

Sucking them dry of life and soul

Children drained and gaining weight

Kids just don't play out any more

Wire up, hook up, feed tube, energy drinks, homework online

Don't have to go out even

A new agenda

Children being trained by societal changes

Corporate control

Until there's nothing left to say

But...Yes Sir

Our children's children will be lifeless

Listless, withdrawn, social inept

In fear of EVERYTHING in case its not been vetted and PC'd

When humans have succumbed to being dumb

AI robotics will be waiting ready

To breed like rabbits

And we will die like little lambs to the slaughter

and we will reply

...Yes Sir!