Just Say NO...to technology!

Last night, as I was catching up with my BFF on the phone, we were talking about her kids and how THIS week, they hate her.

Apparently, my BFF decided that the kids were relying too heavily on their cell phones, laptops, IPODs, video games systems, etc. SO...she implemented some NEW RULES!!

NEW RULES...from now on, all electronic devices are to be surrendered at the door once everyone gets home, until all chores and homework is complete. THEN they can have them back until 9 p.m. at which time they must again, surrender all electronic devices until the next day.

WHAT A DRAG!!

The kids are acting as if this is a punishment. They are angry and they don't understand why Mom is being so mean! I mean, come on, how are they supposed to live?? They are not going to survive, or at least that was the basis of their argument when my BFF surprised them with the new rules.

Her youngest daughter, in what I am sure was meant to be a good point, asked her with condescension and spite, "How long did you get to talk on your cell phone when you were little?

Trying desperately not to laugh from the ridiculousness of the question, my BFF explained the "unbelievable" truths of her/our childhood...

1. There were NO cell phones

2. Our phones had cords, and it was most likely attached to the wall in the kitchen

3. Subsequently, there was NO privacy with phone conversations

4. Our televisions, before cable television, only had three or four channels

5. WE were the remote controls for our parents - if we wanted the channel changed, we got up, crossed the room, and turned the knob! (I know, I know, what in the hell is a knob! If you were richer than most, your TV had buttons, but we still had to get off our asses to change the channel!)

6. Our video games consisted of a black screen with a green ball that bounced back and forth on the screen like table tennis - it was called PONG and it was revolutionary in the advancement of technology...truly state of the art! There were no X Boxes, PS3's, or game cubes...we had to go to the arcade or the local pizza parlor to play a video game.

7. We listened to records. Okay, a record looks a little like a GIANT CD, but black and it spun 'round and 'round on this thing called a turntable(real genius name I know, but didn't want things to get too complicated).

8. If we wanted to listen to music outside out house (as the turntable was something that was unmovable and plugged into the wall) we had to carry this HUGE monstrosity called a Boom Box and it was the only way one could "carry around" their music (Cue John Cusack in "Say Anything"....God, I loved that movie).

9. Speaking of movies, we had what was called VCRs(VideoCassette Recorder) to watch movies at home. There were no quick downloads of the latest film once it was released to video. BY THE WAY, we still use that term, "released to video"; didn't you ever wonder what a "video" was?? Oh, and there was no Blockbuster, Netflix's, or Red Box. We had ONE Video Store (called "Pick a Flick") in which we had to BEG our father to rent a video for the weekend and THAT was usually a musical or a war film (do you understand now why I am the way I am now my friends?? It's not my fault).

10. There was no such thing as a portable computer or laptop. We had the first generation Apple computers with the green type on the screen and NO graphics. We also had to learn to type on a typewriter. There was no "keyboarding" back then. You learned the Qwerty system old school. Yah, baby...talk about causing some carpal tunnel!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.

It is truly amazing to me how much technology has changed and evolved even since I have been alive, but what is more amazing to me is how we are teaching our children to depend on this technology.

We don't exist without it.

Have you ever gone somewhere, doctor's office, DMV, government office, and if the computer "says" it isn't there, then it doesn't exist?? Like there could be no room for error. It scares me how we have become so dependant upon our gadgets, toys, and electronics. And I am MOST certainly included in that. It is actually hard to remember a time when I didn't have a computer or cellphone or whatever to infiltrate the majority of my day.

What did we do back then? How did we survive? How did we entertain ourselves?

I will tell you how...we communicated with one another: we played boardgames, sang songs, and played outside. We new the value of things and the importance of working hard to get the things you wanted in life. We were more human. We were more alive.

It is sad really. Because we are more like robots now. I guess all those futuristic movies of the eighties that seemed so far fetched were not so far off after all!

I commend my BFF for her efforts. She remembers what it meant back before all of this technology to communicate with one another. Although it may be futile, at least she is trying to instill that in her children, one laptop and cell phone taken away at a time!

Well, I will end this little rant with one more bit of sage advice. Take today to try and get away from technology. Turn off your cell phones, walk away from the computer (after you finish reading MY blog of course!), turn off the television and cable box, and unplug the MP3 player from the stereo. Tell me what you hear.

Silence. Peace. Quiet. Bliss.

Nice huh?

Wishing you all a happy and healthy day!