Count the Costs

I like what Courtney wrote about today. It very much relates to something that my pastor was discussing in church this morning. Technology has made things easy, too easy, and there are costs. One of the costs is that children are growing up with so much technology and gadgets, cell phones, ipods, gaming systems that they are now lacking perseverance. (I think I touched on this a bit in my series on healthy brain development in a society of media and technology). Why spend time getting really good at a sport if you can just sit in front of a TV and move your wrist and look really good at a lot of sports? It's really hard for young brains to persevere with any task when they are so used to sitting in front of screens of all sizes getting constant immediate gratification. Courtney talked about saying no to our kids. Not giving in to all the things they want. Not buying all the toys they will forget about after a moment of play. The other cost my pastor talked about is the greatest cost of technology: the loss of our capacity for wonder and imagination. I agree wholeheartedly. I love it when there is no TV going, and the girls begin to engage in imaginative play. I love seeing them so excited to play outside, and search for bugs, as they build little cities for them. I love watching what they can create out of a blanket, some sticks and a bucket of dirt. Saying no to our children is one of the greatest gifts we can give to them. It is giving them the quietness of mind, and the ability to be creative and imaginative. It is growing their brains, and it is creating memories they will never forget. Deprivation of techno gadgets and the newest hot toy can be a paradigm shift for a lot of people, but it is something we all need to do more of. Count the costs. The rewards will be priceless.