Saturday, February 27, 2010

Can't Quit The Worrying Thing

I am a worrier. If I lose someone's address, I might spend hours fretting and looking for it. If I say something that hurts someone's feelings or I think I might have (and, I'm sorry to say, I have a big mouth), I can't sleep that night. if my son doesn't have a toaster or my daughter misplaces her class ring, my stomach starts hurting. The list goes on and one. This is not a good thing for someone who is a parent.

I've spend my entire parenting career worrying. From the time they took their first steps to the time they went to they first drove alone, I have worried and fussed and fretted over their lives. Now, that doesn't mean I am a control freak. I am not. They are very independent people, and they don't call me every five minutes. I don't know their every move, or their every step. They can figure out many things on their own. I don't think that it is healthy for children to be so overly dependent on their parents. They know they can call me when they need me. I want them to be survivors in this world; I hope they are learning to do that.

No, I worry alone. I stress all by myself. Probably not good for the heart and the skin and the mind and all sorts of other things. I can't just "let it be" and sleep at night and let it go. Wish I could. Just can't.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Time Together

Between my jobs, my friends and my family, I'm pretty busy. My daughter stays busy with her school work, her job, her dedication to her school newspaper, and her busy social life. I am grateful for any time we get to spend together. Now that my son is away at college, he has not come home to visit yet although I've been to see him twice and my daughter and I are going to visit him again in two weeks. Time with my children is rare, and more precious.

My kids are older now and gone are the days of time at baseball games and dance recitals and forced evenings together. They have cars and lives of their own. And that's the way it should be. I want strong, independent children. Now, when we spend time together, it's because that's what we choose to do. My daughter and I enjoy some evenings out, certain evenings in watching TV shows together (The Office and American Idol) and just talking "girl talk." My son seems to like it when I come to visit and doesn't mind giving up a evening with the guys for an evening with mom.

And my kids are fun. They are interesting to talk to, they are intelligent ... and very funny ... people. I wish everyone could know them.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Tech Savvy to Tech Lazy?

In my family, I'm the computer whiz ... the geek that knows all about "the computer." I've actually bought my own computer, hooked it up, took it to Best Buy when it didn't work anymore, made the Internet work somehow (called the cable guy but they don't need to know that), joined Facebook, helped my mom join Facebook, started a blog, created my own Twitter account and maybe a few other things. I even pay all my bills online!

I also have a job that requires that I know a little tiny bit about the Internet. However, I am not going to talk about my job. What I am going to talk about is how little I do know about computers compared to my own teenagers or maybe my neighbor's preschooler. It's scary. Today's kids have Avatars in that crazy little online penguin world before they are even potty trained.

I am just not sure what that means. I remember seeing some sci-fi show one time ...maybe it was "The Twilight Zone" where people only knew each other through computers with no real interaction. I don't think it really effects people as far as having "real interaction," but I do think computers and all the "tech stuff" makes kids lazy. I heard a child tell her mother recently that she didn't want a certain Wii game because it made you "run." In others words, she couldn't just sit there on her lazy little butt. That's the danger in technology ... keeps you at the computer and away from fresh air and sunshine and walking and running and basketball and tennis and whatever.

So, as soon as this weather clears and I can tolerate the temperature level ... I'm going to grab my exercise partner ... that would be daughter who is going to get drafted into that role ... and we are hitting the streets. That's the danger in being too much of a computer whiz at too young of an age ... kids get lazy and forget what it is like to be outdoors. It's easy to sit and stare. It's harder to run and get winded. As parents, we have to remind them and make sure they spend time with their hands around a basketball as much as on a keyboard.

By the way, I've lost three pounds on on my diet. So far so good. We'll see how it goes.