Have you been reading those articles about how technology is ruining our kids? Yea me too.
I'm not buying it.
Remember yesterday's post about Dude? It was all about me worrying that my boy was growing up too fast and I wasn't keeping up on my end of the deal? Well, there is one thing that I'm doing that I dig a lot. Dude and I, we text, we email and we love Guns N Roses.
There are so many things that run through my head throughout the day that I wish I would or could say. Normally I think of it at a time that he's at school or in the evening when it's all chaotic. And quite frankly, by the time bed time rolls around I'm spent. That's not my warm and fuzzy moment of my day.
So now when I think of it, I text it, or I email it. Short little bursts of love and affirmation. I try to keep it light and not preachy. Living with ADHD means he is constantly getting messages about what he forgets, what he didn't do, where he's not measuring up. My job is to remind him he's the exact person that God created him to be.
Last week I sent one that said,
I love the person that you are.
Love, the coolest Mom ever
I also violated my rule and forwarded him his Powerschool update of grades and he slammed me for it. His reply, "Mom, thanks for reminding me about my screw ups." - #MomFail
My favorite is when I get messages from him. Sometimes he sends me app recommendations that he finds. He's a cool kid and they're usually pretty interesting.
He sent me an email that said,
"Hey Mom, let's have a great day."
I nearly cried. Ok, I did cry, just a little, but I don't want to blow my tough girl image.
He also sent me one that said,
"Hey, pick me up some Taco Bell while you're out."
He added his favorite smiley face emoticon because he knows there's no way I'm putting the stench of Taco Bell in my car!
Kids are more than school. Email and text helps me connect real time to our thoughts and feelings. We're using high tech to build us up not tear us down. There are so many tools and ideas that can be used for good or evil. We're goin' for the good, dishin' out some iLove. Maybe that's what Steve Jobs meant by iTouch.
