oh yvonne
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Posts: 8,062
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Mar 14, 2022 20:24:18 GMT
Is it me or have you noticed that the majority of kids, preteens and teens absolutely do not know their own town and can't give directions?
I have given rides to a number of DD's friends and they never can direct me to their house! I have been gob smacked by this.
Obviously its because the kids are so hooked on to their phones that they have no idea of their surroundings while driving around. I noticed this a few years back so now my DD now 15 is not allowed to be on her phone when we are driving. I make her read street signs and now that she is learning to drive I've stepped up on it even more. I make her give me directions when we are on our way somewhere and she has to know her directions and be able to name the big street intersections and answer questions like "if we take the 101 North from here, where will we wind up? What's the next city"?
I know when I was young we had no choice but to sit there in the car and stare out the window and read the signs and landmark signs just to stave off the boredom. But now with navigation and iphones its no longer considered and essential skill I suppose.
I feel better that I've taught DD this because like I said, these high school age kids (and these are smart kids) can't direct me how to get home (what freeway exit) and which way to I exit? When I chauffer them somewhere.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 14, 2022 20:28:38 GMT
My kids know their way around our smallish town, but when my older two got their licenses I was shocked that they couldn't get to places in the adjoining larger town. Even places like the mall or other areas that they have been to many, many times.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 14, 2022 20:30:32 GMT
This generation has grown up with navigation systems and map apps that direct them, so it's not surprising that giving directions would be difficult. However, there are many baby boomers I've run across over the years who can't either. It always surprises me when I tell someone that a store/house is located on the Northwest corner of Streets X and Y - and they look at me like I have two heads. There are many I know who couldn't read a paper map pre-internet either.
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,062
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Mar 14, 2022 20:31:26 GMT
My kids know their way around our smallish town, but when my older two got their licenses I was shocked that they couldn't get to places in the adjoining larger town. Even places like the mall or other areas that they have been to many, many times. yes, exactly! The minute we hit the freeway she's completely tuned out and is still struggling to name the next town. We go over it all the time now. What if there is an emergency, the internet is down..something. In today's world that's not beyond possibility anymore. Its making me re-think everything. |
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Post by katlady on Mar 14, 2022 20:32:15 GMT
I haven’t driven around a kid for a long time. But, when I was a kid, I read most of the time I was in the car, yet I am good at directions. And I have an adult friend who cannot go anywhere without using her phone for directions first, even when driving around town. She can’t even get to her local Target without step by step directions. I think it is something some people just don’t have a knack for, like math.
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Post by busy on Mar 14, 2022 20:32:37 GMT
My son is good with directions, but he's liked maps since he was a kid.
I know *plenty* of adults who are useless with directions without GPS - it's not just a generational thing.
I do think being able to navigate without GPS and read actual maps is a basic life skill.
ETA: I think it's pretty normal for kids who aren't old enough to drive to not be good with directions. It just isn't relevant to their lives yet. I know I didn't know the names of streets, even the ones my friends lived on. I knew how to ride my bike there or walk to their houses, but that's not the same as being able to give driving directions. Once I started driving, I got a lot better at navigating.
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,062
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Mar 14, 2022 20:34:06 GMT
This generation has grown up with navigation systems and map apps that direct them, so it's not surprising that giving directions would be difficult. However, there are many baby boomers I've run across over the years who can't either. It always surprises me when I tell someone that a store/house is located on the Northwest corner of Streets X and Y - and they look at me like I have two heads. There are many I know who couldn't read a paper map pre-internet either. I don't even expect her to necessarily know NSEW, but at least know that if the mountains are here, then the ocean is the opposite side etc. |
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Post by paulao on Mar 14, 2022 20:35:03 GMT
It’s not just kids/teens. I’ve known plenty of adults who had no idea of how to get anywhere. My mother and brother spring to mind. I was with a woman who could not comprehend directions, like drive to the end of the block, turn left, go 3 blocks, and turn right.
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Post by workingclassdog on Mar 14, 2022 20:35:44 GMT
lol.. my middle girl who is 25...cannot for the life of me figure out highway names. She has lived in 2 houses her entire life.. in the same town. It dawned on me a few years ago she was driving home and I asked her where she was at.. she said Exit 56. WHAT? I said what highway.. she had no clue. She knows how to get around but even the highway right by our house.. she didn't know the name of it. Now I tease her.. where are you? Oh are you at exit 235 (Colorado peas should get that Exit 235 joke I am trying to sneak in)
Edited to add.. my 26 six year old son has no problem with directions/highways/etc.
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Post by katlady on Mar 14, 2022 20:36:20 GMT
This generation has grown up with navigation systems and map apps that direct them, so it's not surprising that giving directions would be difficult. However, there are many baby boomers I've run across over the years who can't either. It always surprises me when I tell someone that a store/house is located on the Northwest corner of Streets X and Y - and they look at me like I have two heads. There are many I know who couldn't read a paper map pre-internet either. I know my way around but I don’t always know the street names. Drives my SO crazy. I’ll say things like “Turn right at the McDonalds and the ABC store is across from the Shell gas station.” He would give the same directions as “Turn right on XYZ street and 1/4 mile on the left will be the ABC store.” |
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Post by workingclassdog on Mar 14, 2022 20:38:49 GMT
This generation has grown up with navigation systems and map apps that direct them, so it's not surprising that giving directions would be difficult. However, there are many baby boomers I've run across over the years who can't either. It always surprises me when I tell someone that a store/house is located on the Northwest corner of Streets X and Y - and they look at me like I have two heads. There are many I know who couldn't read a paper map pre-internet either. If someone tells me something is on the Northwest corner of whatever.. I wouldn't know what corner it is... please don't tell me to drive south and turn east then turn north.. I gotta have lefts and rights.. and visual stuff.. like turn left at the McDonalds.. that always helps me.. I'm old too... |
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craftykitten
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,304
Jun 26, 2014 7:39:32 GMT
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Post by craftykitten on Mar 14, 2022 20:41:35 GMT
Is it me or have you noticed that the majority of kids, preteens and teens absolutely do not know their own town and can't give directions? I have given rides to a number of DD's friends and they never can direct me to their house! I have been gob smacked by this. Obviously its because the kids are so hooked on to their phones that they have no idea of their surroundings while driving around.I noticed this a few years back so now my DD now 15 is not allowed to be on her phone when we are driving. I make her read street signs and now that she is learning to drive I've stepped up on it even more. I make her give me directions when we are on our way somewhere and she has to know her directions and be able to name the big street intersections and answer questions like "if we take the 101 North from here, where will we wind up? What's the next city"? I know when I was young we had no choice but to sit there in the car and stare out the window and read the signs and landmark signs just to stave off the boredom. But now with navigation and iphones its no longer considered and essential skill I suppose. I feel better that I've taught DD this because like I said, these high school age kids (and these are smart kids) can't direct me how to get home (what freeway exit) and which way to I exit? When I chauffer them somewhere. I don’t think it is necessarily. I am terrible at directions unless I’m driving, always have been. And I get super car sick so I can only look out of the window, I’ve never been able to read or look at my phone. |
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,676 
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Mar 14, 2022 20:42:30 GMT
I was the kid you are complaining about and I'm in my 40s so tech had nothing to do with it. I am just not great with directions, even now. My son on the other hand has been giving directions to my in-laws since he was facing forward at 2yo in his carseat. He has always been very good with directions and I don't worry about that part when he learns to drive.
Tech has changed our lives a lot but it isn't always the cause of all these "problems with kids these days."
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Post by busy on Mar 14, 2022 20:45:43 GMT
Tech has changed our lives a lot but it isn't always the cause of all these "problems with kids these days." This x1000 |
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Post by littlemama on Mar 14, 2022 20:46:42 GMT
I think even when we were kids, if you didnt know how to drive, you wouldnt really pay too much attention while a passenger. However, with the reliance on Google Maps nowadays, younger people dont bother to try to remember how to get somewhere.
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peabay
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Posts: 9,891
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Mar 14, 2022 20:48:25 GMT
Actually, I remember when I learned to drive, 40 years ago, not being able to get to places because my parents had always driven and I just wasn't sure how to get there.
I'm not saying it's not true now, but it was definitely true then!
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Post by bc2ca on Mar 14, 2022 20:49:06 GMT
When DS was in K and the usual bus route to our house was blocked by a fire truck, he was gave the driver alternate directions. It was a substitute driver who didn't know the neighborhood and he was blown away. DS also used to annoy a friend by telling her we "always turn left here" when she went straight through a light to get to our house. He was kind of correct, but I'd turn left only if I had the turn light, otherwise it was faster to go through instead of waiting for another cycle of the lights.  I try to remember these tidbits because by the time he was old enough to drive, he was absolutely clueless how to get from A to B.  I still remember when my dad taught me the magic of addresses and that they weren't just random numbers and taught my kids that they can use that information to figure out how far someone's house is from our house. |
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Anita
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Posts: 5,703
Location: Kansas City -ish
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Post by Anita on Mar 14, 2022 20:49:57 GMT
This generation has grown up with navigation systems and map apps that direct them, so it's not surprising that giving directions would be difficult. However, there are many baby boomers I've run across over the years who can't either. It always surprises me when I tell someone that a store/house is located on the Northwest corner of Streets X and Y - and they look at me like I have two heads. There are many I know who couldn't read a paper map pre-internet either. I know my way around but I don’t always know the street names. Drives my SO crazy. I’ll say things like “Turn right at the McDonalds and the ABC store is across from the Shell gas station.” He would give the same directions as “Turn right on XYZ street and 1/4 mile on the left will be the ABC store.” That's me. I learned to navigate that way because there were no road signs where I grew up. You had to know where to turn based on sight and landmarks. To this day my family gives directions based on visual clues, not road names. So I'm still not good with road names, and I probably never will be. I also have zero sense of direction, but I can read a map and I typically use a GPS until I become visually familiar with a place. Once I learn visual clues, I'm good. My lack of directional skills has been a source of frustration and even fear for me for many years just because my anxiety also spikes when I get lost. It's not fun. I get very disoriented when I'm trying to find my way in an unfamiliar area, and I start to panic. Before GPS, I moved from my midwestern small town to L.A. I would study road maps for hours to try to learn my way around, but until I traveled enough and got my visual clues down, I was terrified to leave the apartment. Road names were just a jumbled blur to me. Currently, if someone tells me a place is on a particular road, I can visualize a general area, but until I get there and see landmarks, it really doesn't stick. Sometimes it's not about having your head in a phone. |
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peabay
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Posts: 9,891
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Mar 14, 2022 20:50:53 GMT
This generation has grown up with navigation systems and map apps that direct them, so it's not surprising that giving directions would be difficult. However, there are many baby boomers I've run across over the years who can't either. It always surprises me when I tell someone that a store/house is located on the Northwest corner of Streets X and Y - and they look at me like I have two heads. There are many I know who couldn't read a paper map pre-internet either. If someone tells me something is on the Northwest corner of whatever.. I wouldn't know what corner it is... please don't tell me to drive south and turn east then turn north.. I gotta have lefts and rights.. and visual stuff.. like turn left at the McDonalds.. that always helps me.. I'm old too... I live in New England so it's "turn right at the drive thru Dunkin Donuts and then make a left at the big Dunkin Donuts..." |
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,623
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Post by bethany102399 on Mar 14, 2022 20:52:14 GMT
And I have an adult friend who cannot go anywhere without using her phone for directions first, even when driving around town. She can’t even get to her local Target without step by step directions. I think it is something some people just don’t have a knack for, like math. I'm not that bad, but I'm to the point where if I'm going somewhere new to me, or it's been awhile I'll use the phone as a backup. My mom could never remember L and R she knew NSEW and that's how she'd give directions. While I won't look at you like you've grown 2 heads there's no way I could tell you which direction NW is. I can't read a paper map either, which my DH who is a cartographer by trade, takes as a personal affront. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 14, 2022 20:53:24 GMT
I was just thinking of this on the weekend! My son could direct someone to our house once we were in our suburb. But I noticed when we started driving lessons with him, that he had no clue whether to turn left or right onto the highway to get to the shopping centre where he's been a gazillion times.
I think you're right, a lot of it has to do with them having their heads down looking at phones whenever they are in the car. There is another issue that DSO and I think is a reason they can't find their way around. When we were kids, we walked or rode our bikes everywhere. If we wanted to go to the shopping centre, we had to walk. We walked to our friends' houses, we walked to our part time jobs, we walked to school. We knew the streets in our neighbourhood and the next suburbs like the back of our hands. My kids got driven everywhere (most of the time).
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Post by Lexica on Mar 14, 2022 21:03:05 GMT
How very sad! That never occurred to me that they wouldn't even know streets or directions. I guess I do see kids with their phones to their faces all the time these days. Good for you for teaching your daughter to be self sufficient. She will certainly be much safer for it.
My son grew up before the whole cell phone thing so that wasn't an issue with him. Plus, we drove from California to Minnesota every year for his cancer checkups and he was the one in charge of the map that I had ordered from AAA. We tried to take different routes every year so that we could see more of the country and turn it into sort of a vacation. He knew how to read the maps, flip to the back to see what interesting things were in that city that we might want to check out, and locate restrooms and restaurants from the map. These maps were custom made and your route marked. They were also spiral bound at the top and multiple pages instead of one big map that you unfolded, but he still learned how to understand the symbols and directions from it. It wasn't an intentional educational thing on my part at that time, but it was just he and I in the car and I needed a copilot. He was 9 years old and was an avid reader so he did well.
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 14, 2022 21:11:04 GMT
I'm not judging on this! Growing up I really only knew my neighborhood and surround area. Then I went to a college town where streets were in numerical order along with intersecting streets in ABC order. Now I live in a town where it is a total crap shoot and the thing that keeps me knowing my directions are the giant Rocky Mountains on the west side. I think some people are direction people, for sure. I was not one of them. To be fair, kids today know so many more different things than I knew at their age, so I can see where priorities are just different. I would have loved to have had Google instead of pulling out those dang huge paper maps that are still in some people's cars.
ETA: Whenever my husband asks my kids how to get somewhere, they tell him to put it in his phone. It is so much faster.
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Gravity
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,233
Jun 27, 2014 0:29:55 GMT
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Post by Gravity on Mar 14, 2022 21:21:09 GMT
First of all, how is your DD old enough to learn to drive?
I have three girls. The oldest can get lost driving around the block. We have always joked that the middle one has a GPS chip in her brain. She could get you anywhere from a very young age. The youngest one gets by.
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Post by padresfan619 on Mar 14, 2022 21:34:36 GMT
I was terrible about giving directions when I was a kid, I didn’t start purposely learning freeways, exits, street names etc until I started driving. And I definitely rely on my phone for directions if I go anywhere I’m not super familiar with, even if it’s still in my hometown.
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Post by Skellinton on Mar 14, 2022 21:35:10 GMT
Well, I have directional insanity so I often rely on the children I am chauffeuring to give me directions if I don't have my phone hooked up to the car gps. They think it is hysterical that I don't remember how to get from point a to point b without a map on my phone. They actually often comment. "This is not the way Mr. Skellinton goes!" when we are going from someplace we go often because I go by the phone not by the weird back roads my husband knows.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,384
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on Mar 14, 2022 22:01:31 GMT
I think even when we were kids, if you didnt know how to drive, you wouldnt really pay too much attention while a passenger. However, with the reliance on Google Maps nowadays, younger people dont bother to try to remember how to get somewhere. this is me…until I started driving, I didn’t really know how to get places by car. |
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Post by workingclassdog on Mar 14, 2022 22:07:42 GMT
First of all, how is your DD old enough to learn to drive? I have three girls. The oldest can get lost driving around the block. We have always joked that the middle one has a GPS chip in her brain. She could get you anywhere from a very young age. The youngest one gets by. I am assuming she is talking about her oldest DD.... actually maybe not.. her youngest is a few years older than mine.. so yeah.. dumb me. |
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 14, 2022 22:58:58 GMT
I tend to give directions in exit numbers. I will remember numbers better than names.
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Post by scrapmaven on Mar 14, 2022 23:31:13 GMT
I am always shocked when my youngest son has to look up where he's going here. You are spot on. They don't pay attention, because they might miss a text. Remember the old days when we had to read a map? You had to go to AAA when you were going out of town.
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