screen thoughts

I know there are benefits to exposing children to the world of technology with the likes of iphones and ipads, but I am very weary to allow it to become a main feature in our home. And even though my city relatives look at me aghast when I admit to not having heard of the latest Apps, I find that living on a farm near a small town has automatically tempered the influence of technology in my children’s life and I plan to keep it that way for as long as possible. 
Every year over the Christmas season I watch in amazement as we are bombarded by city folk who stream in for holiday bringing with them the latest fashions, ipads and apps. And mostly it leaves me feeling slightly appalled at what technology has done to our society. Last festive season while eating out, I saw more than once, whole families - kids and parents - sitting around a table each engaged with their own screen, their faces bland, instead of enjoying their eating out experience with each other.For me it doesn’t take a lot of insight to observe the obvious detriment this can lead to in family relationships and society as a whole. Without the basic skills of sharing and communication what kind of people will these children grow up to be? For surely if a child’s world is more virtual than real, he will grow up not knowing what reality is and therefore lose a connection to earth that is vital for the survival of all.