Monday, June 11, 2007

a whole new world

my daughter is going to "sleep away" camp this summer - how fun! i loved camp as a kid - canoeing, riflery, archery, kayaking, fire building, boy chasing - i did it all. it was glorious. i just got her detailed information on what to pack, et al, and there was a section of 'what not to bring'. bear in mind, these are 9 & 10 year old kids. this list included, but was not limited to, electronic gaming devices, cell phones & ipods. does no one else think this is a crazy statement of our world? i mean, when i was 10, luxury was a bmx bike and a saturday with the sun shining and nothing to do but ride around. maybe it's just me, but i don't think my girls need to be "plugged in" to get the most out of their childhood. i mean, technology is useful and entertaining, and i have nothing against it, don't get me wrong. i love my mp3 player and my laptop. but i would rather plug my girls into the backyard or a pile of construction paper & scissors than a gameboy or an ipod. maybe that makes me Old School. and you know what? i am ok with that. because today they are on the porch, trying to make a birds nest out of mud and twigs, and i just heard Kyra say, "wow - you can do a lot without using anything manmade!" i love that.

4 comments:

Sarah said...

Huzzah for things not manmade! But all that aside, do today's kiddos really have such a music collection to warrant an ipod? At that age, I think my collection was 2 45 records (the Eurhythmics and the Bangles) and a stack of those floppy sunday school records...

111 said...

ooo - i had those floppy records! and one called "germs the invisible dog" that i LOVED! i can still sing most of it...

Anonymous said...

I've always loved that about you..letting your kids PLAY. If we are not careful, that might get eliminated from childhood.

Mrs. Cooper said...

I'm with you, Rae. I had to ban cell phones in my classroom this year because a handful of girls got them for Christmas. THIRD GRADE! CELL PHONES!