Family Time vs. The World of Technology, by Cindy

I just recently started texting.  I always thought it was just another distraction and a bother and wasn’t for me.  But I have to admit that it is so convenient and I thoroughly enjoy it.  When I just want to share a short little something or maybe just ask a quick question to my sister or friend I just text them.  It saves me time actually not having to make those sometimes long phone calls to get an answer to one question.  

 

Now, I see it as being a benefit and something positive for my life, but I am also not a teenager that feels the need to text all my friends every day and all day.  I simply have a handful of people I text only from time to time.  Do I think that some teenagers are completely out of control sometimes?  Absolutely I do!  So if we allow our children to have these fun gadgets– ipods, cell phones, facebook, etc., we need to make sure there are rules for them to follow, so they don’t get out of hand.  Rules that help them to continue being courteous to others, but also rules that help them to keep balance in their lives.

 

There are rules that are simply encouraging common courtesy.  Should we be texting while having a conversation with someone?  Should we bring these gadgets to the dinner table?  To church?  A while ago I picked up a young woman to have her come babysit my children for the evening.  And as we were driving to my house and I was “attempting” to have a conversation with her, she just continued on texting.   It really bothered me.  It got me thinking and so I started to watch and notice how often teenagers are texting away and not being mindful or courteous of others.  Not all of our calls or text messages need to be answered right away.  A response can usually wait a little while.  But if it is one that needs to be answered right away, we need to politely and kindly excuse ourselves momentarily.    

 

There are also rules that will help kids learn how to balance these fun tools of technology with what is most important.  I don’t have kids with ipods or cell phones yet, but that day is drawing closer and closer.  But just like the computer or X-Box games that our kids like to play right now, there has to be rules and limitations.  We have family time on Monday nights and we have a lot of family time on Sundays.  It’s important to us that we eat dinner together as a family.  These times are so important for us to really connect and converse with our children, to be good listeners, to ask questions and to understand what is going on in their lives.  But if we let them do whatever they wanted to all the time, how many of our children would seek us out and tell us what’s been going on in their lives?  If we allowed our children to have free reign over when they use these fun gadgets, would we have these opportunities to reconnect with them?  It is vital that we set rules in our home and with our children so that these tools of technology can be used appropriately.  There is a proper time and place for all of these to be used for communication and for really great fun, but we need to always remember and me mindful of what is truly most important to us…..our families.