2-5-07, Week 9

Mobile

If I ever have Children, I will be one of those evil parents who would never ever want my child exposed to technology unless absolutely necessary. I see a huge divide between me and my two siblings and looking at the effect of technology, I would never wish it upon my children.

When my sister grew up, she got an Atari but it broke, and after that, we just had a TV, but weren’t allowed to watch much. My sister and I played outside a lot, and when she didn’t I was still outside in the woods, by the river, fighting non-existent rattle snakes and trying to catch fish with chocolate. We got a computer when I was 7, but I didn’t like it, it had a green screen, and that’s about all I remember. When I was in late high school, we still didn’t have any gaming system, a really slow computer, which I played a few games on (Lemmings!!whee) and that’s about all. My sister at this point, was with her social circles in the mall and such, and I was still mostly outdoors.

Then we got Internet at school. The worst day of my life…. It was so addicting, it stopped me from writing, drawing, making music, playing, running. I just sat and stared at this stupid computer screen and stopped doing everything else. After almost failing out of college, I broke my addiction with playing online, and now have time to do all the other things I enjoy. Technology isn’t inherently bad, and I would terribly miss mapquest, but its way way way too addicting for children. I would put mobile phones in this category. Instead of getting to enjoy life in the make believe as pirates and princesses they have way more responsibility now, caring around 500 dollar phones having to be available, they don’t get to really play.

On to my little brother. He is 7 years younger than me, so got the Internet in middle school. He doesn’t play outside, he doesn’t draw, or color, or make music, or imagine. He plays online. He reads and posts to message boards. He calls his friends. He does actually SEE them sometimes too, but still. What a childhood! At least four hours a day sitting, typing, staring at a screen. Always carrying a phone. What a terrible childhood. I would never wish it on any child of mine.

Technology can have its uses, and my car always has a phone, but I’m not sure that children are the place for it. If my child went overnight with friends, would I give them a phone? Sure. But to school? Why?? Let them roam, life will catch up them soon enough, give them a chance to grow without the addiction, free to enjoy the little things. They will be exposed to technology if they go to school, I think that is enough, what 8 year old needs a phone?