Tuesday Ramblings

I’m sorry I haven’t blogged in a few days. Life got really busy there! All of that gorgeous weather kept Knut out and in the fields. But, just before the rain yesterday, they planted the last of the soy beans, and this gentle rain is perfect. So with planting season done, I might have Knut back in the evenings, which I’m looking forward to! We spent most of yesterday evening cleaning, laundry started to pile up, clean and folded in our bedroom. You know it’s bad when you don’t even stop by any of the dressers to look for clothes, but just go to the pile in the bedroom.

Yesterday was so productive, even before Knut got home. I got all the bedrooms cleaned and vacuumed all the bedrooms, changed the sheets, cleaned out the back hall closet (which meant I removed all the winter boots, took out all shoes not belonging down there or don’t fit the kids, took the magic eraser to all the scuff marks on the wall, washed the floor) did 6 more loads of laundry, cleaned off the piles of clutter on the kitchen counter and the back hallway, and took a quick nap. I’d say a good morning.

But the weekend! It was Knut and my 10 year reunion from our high school graduation. There weren’t many from out of state, but still, it was really neat to get together! It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years, but then again, not that hard because so much has happened since then. Some were married with oodels of children, other were married with no kids, and still others were single and working or going on mission trips. It was so much fun to catch up.

It’s funny that some of us have kept in touch through blogging. I know when I saw Ryan and Amy Garvin there, with their little girl, Paisley, I felt almost star struck, as I only knew their baby through her blog, and was excited to meet her in person. Most of us are facebook friends, and did much of the reunion stuff through facebook. It’s a new age, isn’t it? I’m still of the generation when I remember my first email account, back when I was about, hmmm….13? I know we had moved to AZ, so I was older than 11. I still have never texted.

I wonder what it will be like for our kids. When will we let them have their own phones, and when will we let them on the computer? (I know the PC commercials have a 4 year old sending an email, but we have still not our kids on the computer yet. Silje has done a few games in my lap, but that’s about the extent of it.) There are some things that we know our kids might have the ablity to do, but not yet the judgment to handle it. Just little things like teaching them the controls for the t.v. because they might think that since they CAN do it that SHOULD do it whenever they want.

I’m pretty sure that they’ll catch up in the computer world pretty quickly, and don’t think we’re holding them back at all. Plus, kids should be spending their time playing with actual toys and being outside, rather in front of another screen.

I suppose we’ll have to figure out computer rules when Silje starts school. My first gut feeling is no more and 30 minutes a day, or homework only to begin with. When she wants to go on the internet, I’m going to have to be over her shoulder for the first few months, and then after that, have all of her passwords. I think gradually, she’ll get more freedom, but for now, she’s not even 5. 5 year olds don’t get freedom. I don’t know. Hopefully by then we’ll have enough money for a laptop, so she can only be on the computer at the kitchen table when I’m doing dishes or cooking or something.

I know for most parenting things, I like to see what previous generations have done, but in this case, I think that most kids have taught their parents about the newest technology, leaving the parents at a terrible disadvantage. I sure hope Knut and I can stay ahead of technology that our kids are learning, so we can protect them from the exploitation of those technologies.

Wow, I just went from talking about cleaning, to reunions, to kids on the internet. You never know where a blog entry will take you, I guess!