Texting their Lives Away

My spell-check is highlighting the word "texting" ... not in the computer's dictionary. In 21st century lexicon, texting is both a noun and an adjective ... both an object and a description of an activity.

To me ... a computer squid, it seems odd, but texting is something I've simply learned to live with. I have always preferred talking to someone rather than sending a text or speaking with a machine. I know computers, but have little interest in living large parts of my life on them ... there needs to be, as with anything, a balance.

Over the years, I've developed a philosophy in relation to communications (outside of work). I've always kept my phone separate from my e-mail separate from my iPOD/iPAD with my calendar. Only recently have I even spent the money on a texting plan (kind of got battered into that one). I have always explained the philosophy, in part, as keeping the devices separate based on the type of use as a means of maintaining battery life, but really it's more than that.

I watch people get consumed by the "electronic" worlds ... rarely talking with one another. Face to face communication gets lost somewhere ... we've all heard the odd stories. Unfortunately, I see those stories more frequently. I have this gut feeling that many of today's children (and adults) are texting their lives away.

Jennifer and I have discussed this in relation to our son and I know part of my job as a father is to develop and foster good communication skills in my son ... some of these will be electronic, but only in their proper place and time. I'm not quite sure how it will all work out, but I am pretty sure I will not be texting my son that dinner is ready any time soon ...

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Getting Involved

This is the second night in a row that we were able to spend time and Grandma and Papap's ... Patrick enjoys it so much! We even had a rousing rendition of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with all five of us involved ... yes, Patrick is pitching in now. He runs from person to person, giving a bit to each one of us ... there is never a dull moment. Tonight, he repeated a new activity from last night. Last night, it was getting everyone involved in chasing him around the house ... tonight, we had this activity, but what we saw was that he wanted to play different games and wanted certain people involved. This is when he went to each person that needed to be involved and grabbed a finger, pulling them along. He even checked every now and then to make sure they were still following. Such an amazing child ... knows how to ensure that we sleep well.

Outside Play

Patrick loves to be outside. When he arrived home yesterday, I was just getting finished with some weeding ... he and Jen immediately jumped in to help. We dragged branches to the pile in the back yard. Then, I found Jen and Patrick getting ready for a bike ride. Wanting to spend time with my wife and son, I opted into the ride. We didn't go far, my back and legs were a bit sore at that point ... but we did get out together as a family. The bike seat we have is not the kind I remember as I grew up. Patrick's is pretty close to my seat, in fact my heels hit the lower part of his seat if I am not paying attention. Despite this, we have a lot of fun. He loves to look around and notices things ... at one point, Jen wandered off and he started calling to her until she headed back to what he considered a safe distance. He is also a boy and likes to play. He "high-fived" my back and spent a few minutes pulling my shirt out. I hope I never forget the head-butt...

Family Time with Shoes

Last night was cool. Patrick was in a playful mood ... dumping food and drinks all over the place, sneaking toys over the back of the couch (then getting upset when I passed them back to him), and climbing over everything. He also got a family game going ... with everyone ready for bed, he had us put his shoes on, then Papa and Mama had to put on their boots. It was all very funny and exciting ... mostly watching his intensity. Then, we had to follow him ... around and around we went. Through the kitchen, into the dining room, through the family room, past the front door and into the kitchen again ... over and over, around and around ... stomping our feet in some sort of family train! Every now and then, Jen or I would fall behind and invariably, Patrick would stop to make sure that we caught back up. We played other games, as well ... but we always seemed to head back to the train ... oh, and don't forget the shoes ...

Fatherhood

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