One thing we wanted to do with Knox before the end of summer was take him bowling. He has a play bowling set that he plays with in the basement, and we knew it would blow his mind to even see a bowling alley. Yes, he's easily entertained, and yes, we are taking advantage of that in every possible way.
His first bowling experience was tonight. It surpassed anything he could have imagined, and I wish I would have recorded his reaction when we first walked in. Think about in the movies when someone is walking toward the light of heaven. That was Knox....walking right past the snack bar, the shoe rental, and the video games, and straight toward the lanes. As if some higher power was pulling him closer.
With bumpers up (for me too, not just Knox) the lightest ball in the place, and the cutest little bowling shoes I've ever seen, Knox figured out how to get the ball down the lane, and even put some spin on it. He got a little overzealous at one point and tried to throw it hard. The people next to us were really understanding when it came flying down their lane.
One game wasn't enough, but two games was too much. You live and you learn. Halfway through our second game, they turned the lights off and put on the black lights and disco balls. That added a fun twist.
Although we had a great time, I couldn't help but keep thinking about dinner. Knox chose our dinner location, so we went to McDonald's. I walked in and although there were 20-30 people at the tables, it was eerily quiet. I sat down and started looking around. Table after table, there were kids, teens, and adults of all ages glued to their technology--smart phones, tablets, computers. There was one elderly couple and another table of 5 or so elderly people who were enjoying each other's company, but everyone else could care less who they were sitting next to.
A few stuck out to me more than others. The first: to the left of me was a teen and her mom. The mom kept trying to make conversation, only to get quick responses from her daughter, who was on her phone for the entire meal. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the mom. At some point, will my children treat me this way? If I buy them a meal, I would want to be treated with respect by them giving me their time. As a parent, if I'm paying for the phone they use, I will make the rules. That means the person in front of you is more important than the person you are texting or facebooking. Why do some parents feel like they can't demand that??
The second: let's call them a couple. They were there for roughly 15-20 minutes of our meal. I never once saw them speak to each other. They were both on their phones the entire time. Cody believes they were probably texting each other...ha! Even when they got up to leave, the girl walked out first, with the guy following. He never once looked up from his phone, even as he was walking out. If I'm going out to eat, I like to enjoy the company around me. I love the conversations that happen around a dinner table. Will this even be a thing in the near future? Or will we all be too caught up in what could be happening in cyber world to even think about what's going on in front of us?
The third (and worst in my opinion): a little boy who looked about 5-years-old and his dad, sitting across from us. They were there for about 30 minutes while we were there. I saw the dad speak to his son TWICE! And it was only for a second each time. My heart absolutely broke for this sweet boy. He kept looking at Nora, waving and smiling at her. I wanted so badly to invite him over to our table so he could enjoy his meal with someone who could show him some love and attention. I'm not saying his dad is a bad dad, because I have no idea who he is. But HOW can you ignore your child for a phone?
Our children are growing up thinking their parents love their phones more than them. That technology trumps them every time. One day, as I taught my first graders, my phone started ringing. It's always on vibrate, but my desk made it echo throughout the room. One little boy asked, "aren't you going to answer that?" I told him no, that right now I was teaching them, and they are way more important than any phone call. He gave me a surprised look that told me he was often put on hold for phone calls or texts at home.
My heart was heavy watching the dad and his son at McDonald's, as I revisited my days and weeks this summer. I am guilty of "vegging out" in front of my phone. Have I done this too much? Could I have spent more time with my children? I wanted to stand on the table and scream at everyone eating to WAKE UP and see what they are doing to themselves, their families, their friends, and most of all their children. I see a lot more behavior problems each year I teach. Is it because that's the only way they get their parents off their phones at home?
My hope and prayer is that we can all see the good in technology, but also see the massive amount of evil. I hope parents can start setting limits, and follow them as well. Because I'm afraid if we don't, we are going to start seeing some terrible repercussions.
Cody and I are going to be speaking about setting limits for ourselves so this is never an issue in our home. I hope others can follow in our footsteps ❤
