I recently read an article about a man who retired young to play golf, but learned his kid's education was not as effective as it might be and has gone on to become a super-advocate for better systems.
My husband is a little older than I and we both had "at home moms" who did their best to advocate for us. My dad was self-employed with scheduled time off that allowed him to be available to help if Mom and I needed another team member. Not perfect by any imagination, but school was not all that different from when they were young so it all worked.
As time has marched on we have come to believe that women only have something to contribute if they are adding to the financial bottom line so now both Mom's and Dad's have more responsibilities, tighter time frames, less volunteer capital to invest, are less likely to recognize a child's teacher at the grocery store or church and when they volunteer it is often with an eye to adding to a resume. It is not horrible or despicable; it is a rational response to the current realities.
But the outcome is that children have less support than in at any time in my memory and I'm kinda old. It used to be that children were part of casual family discussion around the dinner table without TV as a distraction. It used to be that conversation in cars included children not plugged into electronic devices. (Yes, I have texted my granddaughter sitting next to me in the backseat of a traveling vehicle to start a conversation.) It used to be that there was a "house phone" where anyone wanting to talk to me or my sisters ran the risk of having a conversation with one of my parents; if they did not know who was calling I was asked to share something about the person...and I did not considering it rude or intrusive; I considered it felt nice (and safer) because my parents were interested in me and my life.
What can I do, starting today, to be more connected and involved with the world around me? How to I re-engage with family and neighbors and coworkers and church friends and .... you get the idea. Because being connected, being attentive, being involved is no longer the norm, no longer happening as a part of the ebb and flow of life. And every electronic blessing comes with at least as many curses, as we are inundated with faux-relationships, and tons of "personalized" marketing and more information from more perspectives than anyone can reasonable be expected to sort with wisdom.
Almighty God of all, including the internet, electronic communications, mass communications, media and all this stuff that is "new" to us but not new to You, O God of All. Teach us to use all advancements, new inventions, new applications and new electronics in Your service and to Your purposes. Open our eyes and ears to folks around us, give our heart courage to connect, even imperfectly. Teach us to love and be loved according to Your purposes. AMEN
My husband is a little older than I and we both had "at home moms" who did their best to advocate for us. My dad was self-employed with scheduled time off that allowed him to be available to help if Mom and I needed another team member. Not perfect by any imagination, but school was not all that different from when they were young so it all worked.
As time has marched on we have come to believe that women only have something to contribute if they are adding to the financial bottom line so now both Mom's and Dad's have more responsibilities, tighter time frames, less volunteer capital to invest, are less likely to recognize a child's teacher at the grocery store or church and when they volunteer it is often with an eye to adding to a resume. It is not horrible or despicable; it is a rational response to the current realities.
But the outcome is that children have less support than in at any time in my memory and I'm kinda old. It used to be that children were part of casual family discussion around the dinner table without TV as a distraction. It used to be that conversation in cars included children not plugged into electronic devices. (Yes, I have texted my granddaughter sitting next to me in the backseat of a traveling vehicle to start a conversation.) It used to be that there was a "house phone" where anyone wanting to talk to me or my sisters ran the risk of having a conversation with one of my parents; if they did not know who was calling I was asked to share something about the person...and I did not considering it rude or intrusive; I considered it felt nice (and safer) because my parents were interested in me and my life.
What can I do, starting today, to be more connected and involved with the world around me? How to I re-engage with family and neighbors and coworkers and church friends and .... you get the idea. Because being connected, being attentive, being involved is no longer the norm, no longer happening as a part of the ebb and flow of life. And every electronic blessing comes with at least as many curses, as we are inundated with faux-relationships, and tons of "personalized" marketing and more information from more perspectives than anyone can reasonable be expected to sort with wisdom.
Almighty God of all, including the internet, electronic communications, mass communications, media and all this stuff that is "new" to us but not new to You, O God of All. Teach us to use all advancements, new inventions, new applications and new electronics in Your service and to Your purposes. Open our eyes and ears to folks around us, give our heart courage to connect, even imperfectly. Teach us to love and be loved according to Your purposes. AMEN
RSS Feed
