I have a love/hate relationship with the computer. Who among us doesn’t, really? On the one hand, (“one hand” meaning that I’m usually nursing), it is my window to the world. I am endlessly—and I do mean endlessly—inspired, entertained & edified. Best of all, (and this alone makes the computer worthwhile), I have made some of my dearest “friends of the heart” online.
(Love you, ladies!)
On the other hand, (the one that’s keeping my baby from falling off my lap), the computer is nothing but a GREAT BIG BLACK HOLE. It sucks me in with its allure. It distracts me from the work at hand—go figure!—and causes me to burn the pudding.
Except it’s Lent so I don’t do pudding.
Okay, then. The Brussels sprouts.
Given all this love/hate behavior, it’s not surprising AT ALL that I should try to monitor my children’s computer time. Because, after all, my obsessions should be their obsessions, right? And it’s certainly clear when it comes to Angela that she’s adopted my fondness for all things electronic. She is 8 going on 23 when it comes to computer competence—a would-be programmer trapped in a 3rd grader’s body.
Her latest love is finding an image online, which she then pastes into a word-processing program and “narrates.” Yesterday, for example, she created this document:
Do not make me do this:
Make me do this:
Do not make do this:
Make me do this:
Do not make me do this:
Make me do this:
Clearly, when it comes to learning styles, Angela’s preferences are cut & dried.
Or should I say they’re cut & pasted?
Ed. Note: When Angela saw that I wanted to blog her document, she protested. “They’ll think that I don’t like Catholic things!” “No, honey,” I responded, “I’m pretty sure they’ll get that it’s a book vs. computer thing.”
(For the record, we do all the above, i.e. Saxon *and* Teaching Textbooks. I’m weirdly obsessive that way and plus, just like the diversity.)
She then fretted that you’d think she spends too much time on the computer, so I told her I’d tell you that she does not.
She likes playing house with Baby Nickers, too.
Leave a Reply