Everywhere I look, I see kids with phones in their hands, heads down, tuned out to the world around them. Is it wrong of me that I want some of them to walk headfirst into a pole? Hell, even the pictures showing the modern day zombie apocalypse amuse me. I’ve already decided that my kids aren’t going to have their own phones until high school, at the soonest. We’re going to have a family computer in the kitchen and then my kids are going to get their own laptop come high school, if needed. IPods, well, I’m all for music so maybe one without internet. I know, I know, I might be a bit harsh but kids need to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around computer screens. There is this wonderful thing called the outdoors that they can rediscover. Kids in the past managed to survive without computers; I think kids today can do the same. I know I did. I played soccer, rode horses, loved the outdoors. Only problem I have is the heat. Summer here sucks. But what can I do about the weather? If there’s an app to change the weather, well, count me in! There’s that phrase again, “there’s an app for that!” Yes, some apps are helpful while others are useless. Now, I’m not bashing technology completely, as I said, I have my fair share of it too, but maybe putting down the phones and turning off the tv would benefit everyone, at least the kids. Here's a good site to see a list of reasons for less tv. So how many of you remember dail-up? Needing to disconnect from the internet because your mom needed to use the phone? What about phones with those really long cords attached to them? Cassettes? Walkmans? Sometimes, I miss the old technologies.
But I want all of us to think about a few things.
- When is a good age to introduce our children to technology?
- When should a child receive their first phone?
- How much is too much time online, watching tv, playing video games?
- Is being plugged in more important than going out?
- How much would you trust your child with being online?
- Is Facebook, Instagram, and other social site really better than being social?
- Was life really that bad before technology boomed?
- As technology improves, do we really need to upgrade everything? (Like iPhone 4 to 5 when we all know the 5 will be obsolete in a year)
Now, before you label me as an anti-internet crazy person, please realize that all I want is for people to think. Our older generation understands the benefits of fresh air and exercise. Our younger generation is obsessed with electronics. What happened to being social without social media? Talking with friends face-to-face without Facetime? I get that we have friends out of town, but for those you can visit, do so. We’ve become a people obsessed with tv and internet and in need of fresh air. Take some time to turn off the electronics and have fun. Go to the pool, bowling alley, movie theater, play sports, ride horses, fly a kite, read a book. These past few months for me without my phone have been weird, but I learned from it. So here’s my challenge to you, turn off your phone and computers for a day, two if you want to push it, and go have some fun without them! See what else you can do that doesn’t involve staring a screen in your hand or lap. All I really want for people today is to remember the past. Remember who we were, what we could do before we invented these funny little devices that we carry everywhere. Now, back to my IPod and listening to my favorite music.
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