Childhood in a Solarpunk Future
Two weeks ago I went to a book presentation of a book that basically tackles how freaking child-unfriendly our modern society is. And yeah, that is a good point. The modern world hates children - while obviously complaining constantly that there are not enough of them. So basically they want kids to exist (obviously preferably white, middle-to-upperclass kids, not those poor kids or non-white kids). But they also want them to exist somewhere where they cannot be seen and heard and do not bother adults. Outside of it being financially nearly impossible for many of us to raise children (I for one really want one or two kids - but I cannot afford it), the world out there really is not made for kids. The expection is basically that we put kids for the whole day into the "kid-holding-system" that is mainly designed to keep kids out of the world. KIndergarten at first, then school, that also has the second goal of somehow creating little worker drones for the economy to grow. No wonder that kids these days do dream of becoming Youtubers, Twitch Streamers or Tiktokers.
But the thing about Solarpunk of course is, that it is meant to be an utopia, where things would not have to be that dire. So, how would a childhood in a Solarpunk world look like? Or rather: How could we improve childhoods. Because let's face it, we have the ability to do so today. We just have a bunch of politicians who do not want that.
Now, one thing first: I am always going to assume that a Solarpunk future is being run under the communist principle of "from each, according to their ability; to each according to their needs". Meaning, that you do not need to worry about getting your family fed, warm, or houses. That will just be provided. So first of all the issue so many of us face right now of not really being able to afford children would just not exist anymore. Society would take care of itself in this regard.
And of course I am also going to assume that a Solarpunk future will break out of the nuclear family in a bunch of different ways. Be it with more polyamorous families being around, be it with people living in thier chosen families, or be it in more traditional, but still very valid multi-generational households. Which for children will mean one thing: There will be more people they can rely on than just two parents.
There definitely also needs a better supported version of youth social workers. Right now, the entire youth social work thing is a pure nightmare in most countries, that in the end mainly exists to make it harder for marginalized folks to have kids, as their actions often get harshly judged by those organizations, while the very rich can and usually will abuse their kids to no end, but never once be challenged by any agency meant to protect kids, forcing those kids to either try and basically sue themselves out of the family, or just... accept abuse for their life.
Now, obviously in a Solarpunk world, we would not have "very rich people" anymore - but no matter how utopian a world will be, some kids will still be abused. Not because people are evil, but because some families will be for one reason or another overwhelmed with their kids. Be it, because the family has struggles with mental health, or be it because the kid has. And there needs to be a more solid system to protect children - and especially more systems where kids themselves can be empowered to go, while not fully ignoring that not all children might have the ability or courage to do this.
Ironically, school is one of those things I had a lot of discussions about with other folks in the Solarpunk community, because I met a lot of folks who think that school itself should just be done away with. Mainly because they associate school with authoritarianism and think folks should be able to learn what they want.
While I agree with the second part - I do not agree that this means doing away with schools. Because for one, leaving children to their family, can still mean others will make decisions what a kid can and cannot learn. (Just think of the entire homeschool debacle in the US caused by parents not wanting their kids to learn about evolution, biology and LGBTQ folks.)
I just do think that schools should be less structured around what children should learn, and more structured around what they want to learn.
Sure, there is some stuff I think every child should learn. Basic reading, writing, math, and some general knowledge about history, biology, and the environment. But I do think outside of the basics, school should generally be made in a way that kids can focus more on what they actually want to learn. Rather than having classes based on age, allow kids to just join learn groups based around topics. A kid is interested in history? Yeah, let the kid do a lot of history. A kid is interested in mechanics? Sure, let the kid do that. A kid just cares about nothing but art? Then just let the kid do art.
There is no need to force kids into this very tiny mold - let them jsut do what they want to do. Kids are naturally curious. They will want to learn. And also, do not grade them. We know for a fact that grades harm kids and don't say shit about what they can and cannot do. Let it be.
And if a kid has a bad day, let them just have their place in that school, where for a day they can just hang and relax. No need to put on so much pressure.
Mind you, there are a very few schools right now that work like this, and we can see that the children there tend to do better both academically and psychologically. This is how school should work. And folks who do those concepts have been pretty sure about that for the last 120 years.
And there is of course also the food. Due to a Solarpunk world not being capitalist, there would be less junk food and more open kitchens where everyone could just have the food they wanted - well sourced and prepared. With an ability to participate in the cooking, making kids less alienated from their food. This is another thing we know from psychology. Kids who participate more actively in cooking will eat more and more varied food. No, they will not eat all the vegetables, and that is okay. If a kid does not like brussel sprouts or some other vegetable, that is fine. Don't force them to eat that. Please. You do more harm than good.
Which also brings me to something else: Kids, yes, even younger kids, absolutely do need to spend time unsupervised by adults with their friends. Bonus points if it is outside in nature. Yes, that is dangerous. Yes, sometimes people die because of it. But kids that get to do this will be more confident in themselves. Kids need their little adventures.
But speaking of dying... I am just going to assume that in a Solarpunk world, kids would be vaccinated.
And of course, those places for children, will be all accessible. Kids should not be segregated in any way. Not between ethnicity, not between sex or gender, and definitely not between abled and disabled. It is fine. Kids can deal with this.
Something I do wonder about though - and this is something that people love to ignore in worldbuilding - is the media that children consume in those worlds. Because yeah. Kids will consume media. Obviously. Everyone will. And this is were I am standing there is a bit of an issue. Because I kinda fear that in a Solarpunk world, adults might care a bit too much to produce super valuable content for kids. But, like... I actually think that some medial junk food is quite okay. Don't overdo it and stuff, but let the kids have some stupid annoying cartoon that parents don't get. It is fine.
Partly, also, because I think folks can just create some really good stuff if you let them.
And while I am not quite sure how to think about stuff like merchandise in a Solarpunk world - because we do not want capitalism after all... I cannot help but think, that there certainly is some joy in collecting stuff like figures or cards. Not just because it can allow kids to develop other creative skills through play, but also because there is a lot of community to be found in this. But, again, I am not fully sure how this will work without capitalism driving it. I mean, I have no doubt that if you let artists run wild, someone will definitely produce some kids show based around a card game, even without the goal of making millions in card sales. Never forget, YGO exists mainly because the mangaka was a probably autistic, anarchist-leaning guy with a hyperfocus on the history of games and gaming in general, who kinda accidentally invented a card game that now has been around for a quarter century. While yes, he originally wanted to use Magic for this, chances are that he might have invented that card game just for the fun of it. It never had been about making a lasting franchise.
So, I guess it would still work, eh?
But yeah, I do think kids deserve a lot more control over their lives in general. I do think kids deserve to be outside a lot more. I do think kids want to learn, but they want to play. Some might be totally fine playing outside and running through a forest all day. But some kids might prefer to play with action figures or cards or stuff - and that should be fine as well.
Just... Leave kids more freedom to do what they want - as long as it does not do harm. And value children more as members of society. As people. Because that is a thing that society today mainly tends to forget: Kids are people too.
