My daughter asked me today if I remembered the invention of television. I had to laugh because a child's concept of time varies so much from that of an adult. Her idea of 39 years old and my knowledge of the same age don't even come close. I giggled at her assumption of my antiquity, and I told her that her grandfather, aged 72, didn't have a television for the better part of his childhood. It had only been invented around the time he turned 12 and his family did not own one until his teens. This information blew her away. The idea of growing up without a t.v. seemed utterly and completely shocking to her. I then began to think of all the things she's known since birth that never existed for me as a child, and how all of this exposure to technology will affect her understanding of the world.
Being born in 1972 doesn't seem all that long ago to me, but in terms of technology, it might as well be lightyears away. My daughter, in her ten short years, has had an amazing amount of technology in her life. There has always been a computer and internet access in her house, a hundred different television channels, ipods, video games, microwaves, cell phones, dvd players, and hand-held game systems. As a kid, none of this existed for me. It makes me wonder if I am able to have the right perspective on technology use in regard to my children. How much television, internet, and video games constitutes too much or just enough? I struggle with the amount of time they want to watch television, play games on either the computer or the Wii, and use their DS systems. I think that most parents, these days, have difficulty reigning in their children's use of technology, especially the entertainment variety of tech-stuff.
My husband and I have always agreed that we will only have one television in the house hooked up to cable. This ensures that we constantly monitor what the children watch, and it also limits the time they have for watching t.v. Sharing with their siblings constitutes an added benefit as well. The kids learn negotiation skills and how to compromise. We also have the computer in the livingroom so that we can see what they are doing at all times. I think these measures will prove to be helpful in the long run, but are they enough? In addition, our children are only allowed to play their DS systems for a short period of time each day. This engenders a lot of arguing and whining from them, but I think it's essential that they do other things besides instant-gratification, other-centered, non-creative entertainment. It's important to read, to do arts and crafts, to engage in imaginative, make-believe play. I encourage them to this and occasionally we will have a totally tech-free day. Those days start slowly, but usually end on a high note with a deep level of satisfaction on the part of my children.
I want them to have some of the same experiences I did as a child. I can remember only having three channels on the t.v., and no cartoons other than Saturday mornings. I also remember a time with no cell phones, no computers, no game systems, no microwaves, no vcr, even! What did I do as a kid? I played outside from early morning to afternoon. I explored the woods with my sister and built forts in which to hide and create fantasic stories to act out. I played barbies, stuffed animals, and tinkertoys. I read all the time. I painted and drew pictures. I had conversation just for conversation's sake.
I want this for my kids. I want them to be able to entertain themselves without having to rely on anything else but their own imaginations. I want them to be social creatures, to enjoy the company of others. I think much of today's technology has an isolatory effect. People don't go visiting like they did in the old days. Why bother? Just get on facebook and voila! Everything you need to know about someone is already posted. I want them to get bored sometimes and struggle to find something to do that's fun. I also want them to be able to have patience and perseverence in a project or activity. Unfortunately, that quality can be difficult to achieve when everything automatically arrives at the touch of a button these days.
I am going to continue to try my best to integrate a good level of technology in their lives so that they have skill and mastery with the things that have become common place and even necessary in today's world. Nonetheless, I am also going to constantly strive to have them tap into their innner creativity and imagination, and know what life can be like without a complete reliance on technology. I hope I am striking a healthy balance with this. Time will tell...speaking of which....there was a point when even clocks were considered new-fangled technology. I guess then, it's not such a bad thing after all.
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