I'm a little ashamed to admit I was excited about finding a book with this title. Pathetic really. How sad is it that we have to change the original, classic titles to accommodate our addicted iPad users? We have an iPad addict in our home. I try to hide the iPad but, desperate searches are attempted where sometimes end up with smiles and others with tears.
This weekend my sister showed Charlie one of the first cell phones created at OMSI. You remember the one…it was the size of a brick and had an antenna about six inches long. When he looked at the historic phone, it was like he was looking at ancient history and honestly couldn't believe we put up with something so cumbersome. The fact that kids in first grade have their own phones makes me wonder if we're making matters worse for the future of our kids. I've always had a hard time with how fast the world races by and traditions get placed in the backseat.
I understand the importance of technology but, it's terrifying to think the day where pencils will be replaced by iPads and computers is just around the corner. Will pencils and teaching cursive be a thing of the past? Will typing replace handwriting? When our family got our first computer it was a HUGE deal! I remember having to get up off the couch to change the channel too! Oh, the laziness of our children would have them emotionally falling apart and angry at the thought of it.
Remember the days when every aspect of dinner was homemade rather then steamed or placed in the microwave? Will our daughters know how to cook a meal from start to finish without using an item from a box or bag? Will they be able to provide for their future families and husbands when they want cookies or will they just have to pop the roll in the oven?
I miss the days where you had to imagine what the toy was thinking verses the toy telling you what it wants or is doing. When a battery operated toy was something treasured and not wasted or left outside. Now it seems we need multiple of everything to keep us content and happy. When did the need to have every set of LEGOS or every piece to a toy become of demand? I don't ever remember having so many toys and still wanting more. A cardboard box and a good climbing tree kept us kids happy for weeks!
And let's talk about clothing…my saint of a mother sewed most of my dresses and school clothes. We attended a Christian school where girls had to wear dresses and it was in a time where fabric was cheaper than buying a pre-made dress. I always had Traci's too small hand-me-downs and never did we think twice about wearing anything with writing on the back sides or things that went higher than our fingertips! Shopping this past weekend was frustrating as Addi found ZERO shorts that didn't sport her cheeks hanging out the bottom. There is something tragically wrong with this and I'm about to say,"Kids, we're going pioneer style from here on out. Deal with it."
Summer nights in our neighborhood were a mixture of camp outs, endless games of kick the can, and even parades through our streets with music boxes on our bikes, costumes worn proudly, and me doing cartwheels while marching up and down Greenville Street. I'm terribly afraid our kids would be shocked to see how simple life was just a mere 20 years ago. What happened?
I know we can easily try to slow things down and take away some of the issues but, when will too much become too much? Will we forget the process of canning and sewing? Will neighborhood friendly games be forgotten? Will the days of non-stop rain and board games be frowned upon to our techie kids? When will the hand crank pencil sharpener be placed in the museum?
No need to worry about our family. I'm not going to find a cave and move or start to hand sew all our clothes with a kettle over the fire pit. I do want to become more aggressive in preserving the "good ole' days" and forcing the kids to see what our grandparents lived through and what life is like when the iPads get so called "lost." I want to be able to live with content if the power goes out for more then a few hours and know how to survive without technology telling me how on YouTube.
I pray I don't ever have to see another classic book change it's title as we change our today's.
Good night iPad. Good Night Mac Book.
Goodnight High Definition. Good Night iPhones.
Good Night Moon.
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