As I write, it is a beautiful NC summer morning; not too hot, not too humid. A rare treasure for sure. I got the slip’n’slide out, hooked up the hose, and brought out towels. I sprayed my son & myself down with a heathy dose of SPF and drug out one of my trusty lounge chairs and a magazine.
My son, like any 3 year old would be, was super eager to start splashing down the slide. I was eager to watch and relax for a while. I mean, water is great entertainment, right?
Well, was I surprised! My son was done with it after maybe 20 minutes. He complained of being wet. Um? I tried debating him on the pros of continuing along in this activity, but when he makes up his mind, it’s over. So I reluctantly pulled myself out of my chair and turned off the hose. I wrapped him in a towel to remedy the wet complaint and invited him to sit in a chair on the back porch while I got us a snack.
I returned almost immediately with fresh pineapple chunks and cold water and we settled in to the nice breeze off the cotton fields, our ceiling fan, and enjoying the sounds of the wind chimes...ahhh. “Momma, we need a TV out here.” WHAT? Oh my heavens, I have failed. No, honey. We don’t need a TV out here. It’s so nice sitting outside like this in the quiet. My son replied with “It’s nice inside too...with the TV on.”
Thoroughly disgusted with his obvious addiction to technology, I whipped out my smart phone and posted his quirky quip on Facebook. At that moment, I realized the real horror of it all. I’m addicted too! I wasn’t raised that way. What in the world happened? I was the kid who was always outside playing or running through the woods. I had a TV in my room growing up, but it was in my closet and not hooked to cable. I love to read and listen to wind chimes. I just cannot be addicted to technology.
I’m still on my back porch, by the way. With my laptop. My son is sitting near me, bored. He’s dunking his hands in his cup of water and complaining, sighing like my dad and flicking the drops away. I’m snickering to myself. No, I haven’t let him go in yet. I’m mean. I want him to figure it out and see the beauty of just enjoying the outdoors.
Glory be. It happened! My son got bored enough that he grabbed a bottle of bubbles and is now happily running through the yard with the dog. Not bored anymore! Just because many of us have succumbed to some type of dependence on technology for our entertainment doesn’t mean we have to be connected every second. I’m signing off for a bit. Who knows how long the bubbles will last?
