Good stuff
When I was a kid, I can't remember saying very often that I was bored. We didn't have video games, smartphones, Internet, electronic tablets or cable TV. Our parents didn't run all over town so we could play sports or go to parties. We made our own fun, and yes, it was fun!
If kids today went back in time to live at my childhood home for a few days, they'd more than likely ask, "What is there to do?"
My brothers and I would in return ask, "Wanna watch TV?"
They'd say, "Sure. Where's the TV?"
"Right there," we'd tell them pointing to a funny-looking box against the wall.
We'd turn the TV on - using the knob on the TV, not a remote - and adjust the rabbit ears so the program would come in just right. Perhaps we would watch Lassie, I Love Lucy or Leave It to Beaver. And, guess what? At our house, we'd watch those shows in BLACK AND WHITE!
"You've got to be kidding us," our visitors would say.
"Kidding? No." I can hear my older brother, Clyde say, "This is good stuff."
I'm sure the excitement of watching TV would wear off quickly and our visitors would ask what else there was to do. How about listening to music? We could show them the record player and ask them to look over our collection of 45 RPM records to see what they wanted to listen to. After discovering the record player didn't come with earbuds and seeing that it wouldn't fit it in their pocket, they probably wouldn't want to listen to music after all.
We could take them outside and show them the tree we loved to climb. We could play tetherball or build towns and roads in the gravel driveway.
"No. Thanks anyway. It's too hot."
When my kids were young there were certainly more "conveniences" than I had growing up. Just because those conveniences were coming onto the market, that didn't mean we had them. My kids played outside, rode bikes and climbed trees. They learned to make do with what they had, and, for the most part, they actually had fun.
There was one time, however, when it had been raining for several days. My two youngest children, Ryan and Ashley, became bored. They would look out the window and wish the rain would stop so they could go outside and play.
Feeling sorry for them, I came up with a book for them to read and color. Below is the link to their book.
Rainy Days
When I was young, I loved to write books. I didn't have a typewriter (I know … what's a typewriter?) or a computer. I wrote my stories using a good old pencil and tablet. No, not the kind of tablet we have today, but one made out of paper. Something else you'll find amazing is the fact that I wrote the words in CURSIVE!
There is some debate about whether or not kids should be taught to read and write cursive. They spend much of their time touch typing on their electronic devices so learning cursive seems unnecessary. Who would have thought that the time would come when people couldn't read or write cursive - as if it's a foreign language?
When my daughter Megan was in the third grade, one of her assignments was to write and illustrate a book. I think she did an excellent job using her imagination and putting it on paper for us to see. Below is the link to her book.
The Case of the Missing Toys
I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have the electronic gadgets that are available. While these devices can certainly complicate our lives, they can also make our lives easier. I just wish that new inventions didn't replace old ways. We used to read books by holding them in our hands, touching each page as we turned it. Now books are on tablets or smartphones. We can't touch the book or feel its pages. The whole experience seems a little cold.
Fortunately, people will continue to write and we will have the ability to read their creations. I will always be glad that I kept the plays, short stories, and books that my kids wrote when they were young. As time passes, I'll use my electronic device and the Internet to make them available for everyone to see.
After all, this is good stuff.
If kids today went back in time to live at my childhood home for a few days, they'd more than likely ask, "What is there to do?"
My brothers and I would in return ask, "Wanna watch TV?"
They'd say, "Sure. Where's the TV?"
"Right there," we'd tell them pointing to a funny-looking box against the wall.
We'd turn the TV on - using the knob on the TV, not a remote - and adjust the rabbit ears so the program would come in just right. Perhaps we would watch Lassie, I Love Lucy or Leave It to Beaver. And, guess what? At our house, we'd watch those shows in BLACK AND WHITE!
"You've got to be kidding us," our visitors would say.
"Kidding? No." I can hear my older brother, Clyde say, "This is good stuff."
I'm sure the excitement of watching TV would wear off quickly and our visitors would ask what else there was to do. How about listening to music? We could show them the record player and ask them to look over our collection of 45 RPM records to see what they wanted to listen to. After discovering the record player didn't come with earbuds and seeing that it wouldn't fit it in their pocket, they probably wouldn't want to listen to music after all.
We could take them outside and show them the tree we loved to climb. We could play tetherball or build towns and roads in the gravel driveway.
"No. Thanks anyway. It's too hot."
When my kids were young there were certainly more "conveniences" than I had growing up. Just because those conveniences were coming onto the market, that didn't mean we had them. My kids played outside, rode bikes and climbed trees. They learned to make do with what they had, and, for the most part, they actually had fun.
There was one time, however, when it had been raining for several days. My two youngest children, Ryan and Ashley, became bored. They would look out the window and wish the rain would stop so they could go outside and play.
Feeling sorry for them, I came up with a book for them to read and color. Below is the link to their book.
Rainy Days
When I was young, I loved to write books. I didn't have a typewriter (I know … what's a typewriter?) or a computer. I wrote my stories using a good old pencil and tablet. No, not the kind of tablet we have today, but one made out of paper. Something else you'll find amazing is the fact that I wrote the words in CURSIVE!
There is some debate about whether or not kids should be taught to read and write cursive. They spend much of their time touch typing on their electronic devices so learning cursive seems unnecessary. Who would have thought that the time would come when people couldn't read or write cursive - as if it's a foreign language?
When my daughter Megan was in the third grade, one of her assignments was to write and illustrate a book. I think she did an excellent job using her imagination and putting it on paper for us to see. Below is the link to her book.
The Case of the Missing Toys
I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have the electronic gadgets that are available. While these devices can certainly complicate our lives, they can also make our lives easier. I just wish that new inventions didn't replace old ways. We used to read books by holding them in our hands, touching each page as we turned it. Now books are on tablets or smartphones. We can't touch the book or feel its pages. The whole experience seems a little cold.
Fortunately, people will continue to write and we will have the ability to read their creations. I will always be glad that I kept the plays, short stories, and books that my kids wrote when they were young. As time passes, I'll use my electronic device and the Internet to make them available for everyone to see.
After all, this is good stuff.
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