1577 Words Essay on Childhood, Youth and I Old Age
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Human life can be divided into three principal phases- childhood, youth and old age. The period from birth up to the age of 15 years can be termed as childhood; that from 15 to 40 years of age can be called youth, while the period from the age of 40 till one passes away constitutes middle and old age.
There has been an interesting debate-as to which of these three periods of human life is the best. Some argue that the childhood is the supreme period as it is free from worries; others feel that that the youth is certainly the best because of enthusiasm, power and health it provides; still others prefer old age because it is associated with maturity, wisdom and ability to understand life better.
The discussion and debate on this issue goes on as time passes as new arguments far and against are added for each phase. Childhood, as stated earlier, is the period of life from birth up to the age of 15. It can be further divided into infancy, early childhood and adolescence. Infancy is the period up to one-one and a half years when a child is totally dependent on its parents. He/she is fed on mother’s milk and very light liquid foods, like meshed fruit pulp, etc. He/she lies on the bed and begins to crawl after 6-8 months. There is no language communication.
It is a period of child’s attempts to recognize the world around him- mother, father, other people in the house. He/she may be attracted by a few things like toys, colourful things, certain voices and familiar sounds. This is the dormant phase of life, and may be the most difficult part of child as he/she cannot speak in any clear language or way but has to convey his desires of hunger, love, care, change of clothes, etc.
He remains oblivious of the ways of the world. In early childhood, the child becomes active. He/she runs around in the house, in the garden, neighbourhood park, streets and play schools. He is attracted by anything and everything that comes his way. With the age beyond three-four he becomes naughty and highly active in almost everything. He goes to school, learns to read and write, plays games of his choice, makes friends in his school as well as in the neighbourhood, and is extremely fond of toys and food such as chocolates, ice cream, cake, pastery, etc. Among the list of his favourite pastimers is added TV watching-especially various types of advertisements, the cartoon programmes and other action-oriented shows. He is so engrossed in the action that he becomes restive, laughs heartily and keeps sputtering his innate reactions every minute.
A child matures in many respects as he/she enters the teens. He/she becomes choosey in his/her dresses, eatables, games, friends-even TV programmes. Since he/she is active and in good health, the outdoor life becomes more attractive. There is a marked difference between the childhood life of a boy and that of a girl-all along-but this difference is more pronounced during the teenage.