Put the Device Down!

I *love* technology.
I also *love* that we live in a unique area where there is no cell service.
I know, mind blowing, isn't it?
What that means is that when people are hanging out with their children or friends here... they're JUST hanging out together!
No one checks their phone.
No one checks anything.

Eye contact and togetherness happen.
It is a beautiful thing.

When we go anywhere else, it hits me like a brick wall how technology obsessed people are and how much people are ignoring their kids.
We just recently came back from a wonderful family vacation.
This is what we saw a lot of... parents... with their noses and fingers glued to their phones.
Many, many, many of them.
Here's an idea...

Put the Power of Giving in Kids' Hands: Have a Giving Bee

For quite a while now I've been trying to think of a way to teach our kids about giving, particularly at this time of year when kids are naturally fixated on wanting.

I remember when I was young, whenever a natural disaster happened in the world, my parents would put a mug on the shelf and say, "Whatever you kids want to put in that mug to donate, we will match that amount."  That gave us such a sense of power.  Whatever we put in was going to be doubled!  Knowing that our actions had an impact on those in need felt like having a real super power.  We were small but could still make a difference in the world.

Now that we have kids I want to give them that same feeling, that feeling of knowing you have the power to help others.  I want them to have the desire to help others, not just because it is the right thing to do but because they feel the need and want to do it deep down.

Acceptance: Giving Children a Belief System

Until recently, I thought that we were bringing up our kids without religion.  We don't go to a place of worship and we don't teach the concept of God by that or any other name.  We also don't teach our children with religion.
For a while I wondered how to introduce these ideas to them since I felt they should understand that there are others who do believe in a higher power.  I'd concluded that I want to buy a book on world religions and read it to them to explain what others believe.

So like I said, I was quite sure we were bringing our children up without religion.
A story I heard a few weeks ago changed that theory.

I was listening to NPR (National Public Radio), the show was This American Life with Ira Glass.  Today's show topic was "Kid Logic." It was essentially "Kids Say the Darndest Things."  Some of the stories were cute, but one was downright sobering.