I question what we are doing to our children with our technology.
Do your children know how to fish, to camp, to play a board game, to play an instrument, to carry on an intelligent conversation about something relevant?
As you were growing up, some of you may have actually experienced having dinner together as a family (without electronic devices) and actually talking to each other about the day and its activities. At the time, you probably wanted to do something else like talk with your friends, etc., but think back: those times were pretty special, weren’t they?
Does that happen today? Do you make it happen for your family? It is often very difficult because we over-schedule our kids so much with so many activities that they don’t know how to play. Now, I’m old, but as kids, we used to get together in a vacant lot and play ball. All kinds of ball, baseball, football, basketball. We didn’t know about soccer, sorry.
Today, everything has to be organized and in a “league” of some kind with “adult” supervision so all the kids can get a trophy for just showing up some of the time. In any case, it’s time we instituted perspective.
I’m saying no practice or games of any kind on Sunday. You may not be a church-going family, but you should take a day to focus on your family and not on some mundane game. I know a family that did not get Thanksgiving at home because of a tournament out of town in another state. They actually had a game on Thanksgiving Day. Seriously? Stand up, just say NO! You think that will hurt the kids? In spite of their protests, they will probably be relieved.
Do you let the electronic devices “babysit” for you? Do you eat dinner quickly and quietly in a corner, standing up so you can get it over quickly? Are you texting too? What is so important that you can’t sit and have dinner and conversation with your family?
Are your children aware that other people are different? Do they know why? Do they value their education, their opportunities? Are we keeping our children safe from their electronics? To what, to whom are we exposing them?
What can we do? We will actually have to talk with our kids — no texting! Some tactics:
• Limit screen time. That must include social media.
• Confiscate the devices at bedtime. If they’re still your dependent, take the device at bedtime.
• Instruct your kids concerning the tactics marketers use to extract personal information from free apps. They will think they’re too smart to get tricked. They’re not.
• Emphasize time management, e.g., scheduling homework, sports practice, dinner, and sleep.
• Step up! You do not need to negotiate. You’re their parent, not their friend. You are responsible for them.
Everyone in the United States should understand that we live in the richest country you can imagine. What we define as poverty level income would delight 90 percent of the world’s population.
I advise a leadership development and community service club consisting of fourth- and fifth-graders and I am impressed with them and their compassion for helping others. They are culturally diverse, but I fear they will be minorities. Not because they are culturally diverse, but because they will probably grow to understand that society does not reward philanthropy and community service as much as it rewards the trash we see daily via electronic devices and in TV programming.
One last point and our future depends upon it:
Are you, as parents, informed citizens or do you just go about your daily routines without paying attention to what your government is doing? The survival of our republic depends upon an informed electorate. If you are not an informed and active voter, you are part of the problem. You are selfishly allowing a few malcontents to dictate your future and the future of your children.
I’m old and I will probably not see many of the adverse consequences of our folly, but if you’re 50 or younger, you will.
I expect I’ve said enough. But, I’ll be back.
Richard B. (Ben) Backus, Ed.D.
Peachtree City, Ga.
