Technology or bust

All I have to do is take one look at my children to realize how far technology has come in the past 20 years. Heck, even TEN years--I didn't get my first cell phone until my senior year of college! I remember even then it was this huge novelty, most of my friends didn't have one yet and I bought this teeny little Nokia and thought it was just the best thing ever.

Technological advancements of the last 20 years have vastly changed the way my children will grow up versus the way I grew up. I'm sure I'll get some of my years mixed up, but I don't remember us having a home computer until I was about 12 years old, and when I say "computer" I really mean word processor at best. We had a Nintendo and then a SuperNintendo, but I don't think it was until middle school, maybe even high school since I remember playing it a lot in our basement in Auburn. The second "big" item that my sister and I ever pooled our allowances for was a cordless phone, and it was so terrible that you couldn't even take it upstairs, but we still loved it:)

My children will never know the world that I grew up in. We don't even own a home phone--they have no idea that there was a time not so long ago when people didn't walk around with a tiny phone in their pocket. We have 3 laptop computers (not counting Chuck's work computer, so I guess it's actually 4) which is somewhat sickening, lol (but one of them is really old and terribly slow). My 4 year old is better at playing computer games than I am, and that's with pretty limited play time. Chuck and I were talking the other day and realized that neither of our kids has ever even seen a cassette tape--but I didn't get my first CD until high school!

It feels like the speed of technology is almost scary these days. The amount of time it takes a gadget to become obsolete is nearly frightening. Chuck and I have given up on trying to buy the "latest and greatest" of anything technological, because we know that given a year or two it will be the old, outdated model and for it to even keep working we'll likely have to upgrade to something else. The one thing we haven't succumbed to yet is the "smartphone" craze, but our contract is up this summer and I know we're both considering it. Is it considered "jumping on the bandwagon" when the wagon left without us about 5 years ago? Lol.

I think one of my greatest struggles as a mother is competing with technology. It's hard to try to convince my children that reading a book or doing a puzzle is more fun or stimulating than playing an exciting computer game or watching their favorite television show. My mom told me once that she doesn't remember ever letting us watch much tv as children, but mainly because there weren't many shows made for kids back then. And she's right, if you missed Sesame Street at 9am, there wasn't any other option. These days, between DVR and the 3 separate kids-only channels on our cable package (one that is completely commercial-free!), there's seemingly infinite options to compete with. But I'm trying. I'm still in the race, struggling to make my children appreciate and love reading and quiet games as much as I do. Yet at the same time I can realize how some screen-time IS a necessity if I want my children to succeed in school and in life. If I completely void technology from their lives, they would be at a severe disadvantage in school (since even my son's pre-school classroom has their own computer) and eventually in the workforce, since nearly all jobs require computer knowledge of some sort and some people (like my dear husband) sit in front of a computer for 8-9 hours a day, every day.

The most intriguing thing, for me, is that a decade ago I never could have imagined how powerful technology would be. The internet was something I used for e-mail, and not much more. I never would have imagined tiny phones with internet access and cameras and video-cameras built right in. I couldn't have fathomed owning a flat-screen tv. I have no idea what the next 10-20 years will bring, but I know that without a doubt my children will probably be more savvy that me, lol. Bring it on, technology, bring it on:)