I really am thankful for technology, but do you ever get technology overload?? The other day I was at my in-laws house. Evie and I were on the couch watching the movie "Alice In Wonderland" on the Disney channel. The commercials were a bit shocking to me. Literally every commercial had the kids hooked up to something. Hand held games, ipods, computer games. You name it, they were connected to it. Even the bicycles the kids had were doing something. One commercial kept showing a family all playing Wii together. Okay, I'm not against technology by any means, but all I could think of was this...don't kids ever just play anymore? Like with real toys that don't make noise, don't have moving pictures, and don't require plugging in? Do any of them even step foot outside anymore? When I saw the family playing the Wii together, all I could think of was what ever happened to playing a board game together?? You know, where you actually have to communicate with each other without some kind of mechanical device. Am I just really old?? I wanted to disconnect from technology after watching tv with Evie. Evie recently started getting into Webkinz stuffed animals. For those of you who don't have kids, Webkinz are adorable, fluffy stuffed animals that have little tags on them with codes. You go online and register them, name them and then take care of them on the Webkinz website. Evie started waking up every morning asking me if she could play on the computer, and then asking me all day if she could play on Webkinz. This is a new thing for me. I'm not used to her being such a computer addict, and I have really started to put my foot down. My parents used to limit both me and my sister to 2 hours of tv a day. This was before computers, hand held games, ipods, etc. Now I am starting to see that I need to limit Evie in the same way. Not only Evie, but myself too! I find that I get sucked into the computer, and waste hours just surfing. I know that God wants me to be productive with my time. Part of me just wants to unplug all the devices and go back to life without all these things. Life almost seemed simpler without all this technology.
5 comments:
I agree with you. Sometimes we neglect relationships for just sitting and staring at a TV or a computer. Those are good things but they can be abused.
I know how you feel. I get fed up when in the holidays all the boys want to do is sit at the computer or when they come home from school and go straight to the computer. Whatever happened to getting outside and building stuff and getting dirty? But then I feel a little guilty because I know there are times when I spend way too much time on the computer.
Some days I think that I'm on the computer too much, while other days I'm grateful to be able to sit down for a bit and relax. I don't watch very much t.v. at all, but on Friday evenings, I'm making it a habit to pop some popcorn and sit with my children and crochet while they watch their cartoons.
We've bought so many electronic toys for them in the past, remote control robots and dinasaurs, and a kitty that purrs and hisses, a remote control doggie .. on and on it goes ... but would you believe Jen, that they perfer simpler toys? They love their lego and stuffed animals and my dd likes her littlest pet shops (although she is out growing it now) and my ds loves his rubber frogs and lizards and clay and slime and goo, they love to draw pictures and cut and tape and paste (when we have glue) and just this morning my dd asked about going to the arena to skate again this year and in the summer they love to swim and play outside, and dd keeps asking me to play monopoly ... they play more with stuff without batteries, the battery stuff just sits there year after year neglected!
When they first got their webkinz, they LOVED playing on the computer ... however, they hardly ever ask to play on the webkinz site now.
However having said all that I'm not sure I've learned my lesson ...lol.. because now they asked for a Nintendo DS for Christmas this year, and I bought them one. This is going to be their 'biggie' present.
I have to admit, they do love their cartoons as well.
But above everything, I've noticed they LOVE being around me. Where I go, they go, if I bake, they want to help, if I garden, they want to help water the flowers, if I cut the grass, they sit on their swings and watch, if I shovel, they want to shovel, they always LOVE my attention and want to be near me.
So true and this is coming from a true self confessed GEEK, who loves her technology.
I think it's all in how you use it. I love my DVR, like TIVO, because I can record the kiddie programs and control when and if my daughter sees them, also I fast forward through all commercials, for the reason you mentioned.
In my family we use technology to limit and control technolgy.
We, including my daughter, are as adept at Candy Land as our game system.
I grew up in a home where my mom always had the TV on, always. So for me it's about balance. In this house if it's on you'd better be using it and it never stays in to long.
I've actually turned the TV off when my daughter didn't answer me.
People just need to find balance.
I can relate to you Jen. If I had young kids I'd have to regulate computer time, etc. I just know. When we were kids all we wanted to do was go outside and spend the day on our bikes or at the creek or climbing trees. That was a good time.
I try to balance my life with "real life" and computer time. Sometimes I get online just to relax after a very busy day, but only when I'm alone. I do like access. When I was working in the kitchen today I had to research three essential oils and it as wonderful having access immediate information. So... it's a good thing when it doen't take over our lives.
Sounds to me like you'll handle it fine with Evie.
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