I was thinking earlier today about the things my kids will grow up with. Things that have existed all of their little lives. Stuff like cell phones, the internet, digital music. It seems to be about instant gratification these days. Back in the day, if I had a question about, say, how to knit, I would have to go to the library and find a book. Or try to find a yarn store in the phone book then call to see if they offered classes. Classes that I would actually have to GO to.
A couple of years ago when I actually wanted to learn to knit, I did buy a couple of books. But the way I really learned was YouTube. Ten minutes and I had learned to cast on and knit my first stitch. I had read about it and looked at pictures for a couple of days without figuring it out, but the video offered me that instant feedback. I can recall before the internet and certainly before smart phones that I may see someone in a movie and think to myself, "Who IS that guy? I know I've seen him. What's he been in?" And I would be so distracted trying to figure it out that I'd miss a good fifteen minutes of the movie trying to remember where I knew him from. Like it was important. Now, all I have to do is google the movie cast and my curiosity is instantly satisfied. "Huh. I didn't realize he was in that."
I loved dogs when I was little. Still do. I can remember sitting on the floor in the hallway in front of our Encyclopedia Britannica collection and pulling on the "D" book. I would easily look at it for an hour. I could identify pretty much all of those dogs and knew the differneces between the breeds and where they originated from.
The "H" book also attracted my attention. It had the human body in it with these clear overlays that contained the different body systems. You could start with a skeleton and add the muscles in one overlay then put all of the blood vessels in place with another flip of the page. I was always a little embarassed when I got to the reproductive system and hurried through that one.
Now, my kids can not only see all of this on the internet with a few keystrokes, but can link to a video that shows the heart in motion or a tutorial on how to train a dog to fetch.
I'm happy for them because of that. A bit jealous of the knowledge at their fingertips at such a young age. The downside is that this is also the same system that will allow a 12-year-old to send pornographic images of herself to her "boyfriend." Which mortifies me. It takes the attention my kids should be giving to me and the things I am trying to teach them and transfers it to the flashing buttons and chimes on a cell phone. Its a hard balance for sure.
I'm sorry for them that they will grow up in a world where they may never need a map. I can remember trips where my Daddy would dig one out of the glove compartment and give it to me to make sure I could read it and get where I needed to go. I appreciate that skill. But with GPS, they can plug in an address or destination and never even really have to look at a street sign. Not only that, but what happened to just getting good and lost? There is such fun in that if you have the time. But people have a hard time getting lost nowdays. That's also a great way to find a good place to shop. Or to eat. Those out of the way joints are the best. Now, we have to check the reviews on a place and look at the menu online before deciding to eat there. Convenient, sure. But I can't help but think that something is missing. The adventure. The mystery. The feeling that you were the first one to discover that great burger or that amazing bread pudding.
I've already done a post in the past about my Kindle. And I am still really attached to it. Its a neat way to keep books. Organized. Clean. Hayden broke his Kindle last week and I reluctantly loaned him mine. He left it at his Daddy's house, so I have been without it for a few days. And I have REALLY missed it. I took the kids to the bookstore in Jackson today. They have finally learned that the vast majority of the time I won't buy them a toy, but will almost always buy them a book. So they actually asked to go to the bookstore. They both picked out a book and I decided that it was time for me to get my hands back on an actual book. I had narrowed it down to "Animal Farm" and "The Great Gatsby." Then I saw "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Someone once told me that it was required reading at the Nerd Academy. And, being a nerd, I figured it was time I read it.
Both kids were anxious to get into their books on the way home. I got just south of Jackson and noticed it was quiet except for a song playing low on the radio. No arguing. No DVD playing. This is what I saw....
How could I not love that? I adore that they love to read. I like that they can have that escape. That quiet and still. Of course, for obvious reasons that are to my benefit. But also because that is something they will really need in their lives. The fast-paced, instant gratification race that is the 21st century.
I'm a little sad that they are growing up in a world where Lily will not know what its like to have to wait anxiously by a phone that is attached to a wall hoping for a call from a boyfriend. Or that Hayden will likely not know how it feels to go a day without a text message and/or photo from the girl that has a crush on him. That they won't just drive on some backroads and get lost. That anytime there is violence somewhere in our country, thanks mostly to the media, they automatically assume it is related to Islamic terrorists. I'm not against technology by any means. I utilize it every single day. But there has to be a balance. A symbiosis.
I hope they can learn to be still. To enjoy the sounds of the frogs and crickets on a summer evening rather than the sound of the TV. To sit by a bonfire and laugh with their friends rather than reading "LOL" on a 3-inch screen. To spend a weekend without having access to instant and constant news reports.
I'm thinking if today was any indication, they are off to a good start.
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