Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

Last week I wrote about some of the good things technology can do. How it brings my family closer and how it’s helped relatives all over the country get to know Andrew. It’s not always easy or ideal watching someone grow up long distance, but blogs, online photo galleries, web cams and Facebook help to bridge the gap and close the miles.

But technology isn’t always great… Let’s start with the fact that I have not one – but TWO – smart phones. My Treo keeps me tethered to my office and my Blackberry ties me into my dad’s office and my personal accounts at all hours of the day and night.

I feel like one of Pavlov’s dogs. When the phones go off, I immediately reach for them. And if I don’t have one of the phones on me, I get kind of twitchy.

Clients expect to be able to reach you – at any time – particularly if you represent anyone overseas. I represented a company in New Zealand and when I was getting ready for bed, they were in the middle of their work day. It wasn’t unusual for them to email me at midnight or three in the morning… Crazy as it might be, it wouldn’t be unusual for me to email them back if I happened to be up with Andrew when one of their emails came through. (I KNOW mom. It’s sick. I admitted it was crazy.)

Andrew and I used to use car rides home to call daddy to find out when he was coming home. Or we’d call nana to say hello. But this week, I asked him if he wanted to call Nana while we drove home. Andrew got very upset and told me “NO TALK ON PHONE IN CAR! IS DANGEROUS!”

I knew it would mean a lot to my mom to talk to Andrew, but it was hard to argue with that logic. Particularly since it’s true… So no more phone calls during our rides home. We talk instead or sing, loudly and very off key.

Hubby and I both have our laptops on the couch downstairs. Andrew routinely closes them, whether we’re working on them at the time or not. A lot of the time, he’ll start playing with his toys right on top of the keyboard. I could be in the middle of typing a brief, but Andrew will line his cars up on the keyboard and ask me to move my hands so he can race the cars around the computer.

If we’re hanging out on the couch, he’ll try to hold my hand. Not the one closest to him. The one that’s trying to type on the keyboard WHILE I’m holding him so that I can’t work. Or play. Or do whatever I’m doing on the computer.

I read an article today about how kids can grow very resentful of technology and the time their parents spend on computers or phones instead of hanging out with them. The article really made me think about how much time I spend on my phone or on my computer. It also showed me that Andrew, in his own way, has been expressing to us all along that we should be spending less time on the computers and phones and more time with each other.

And I’m going to listen to him…

It’ll be hard to break myself to checking my phones the second they chime at me. It will also be a little weird not to turn on my computer as soon as I get home. But my little guy is only going to be little for a short amount of time…and I should be spending that time enjoying him not playing Cafe World on Facebook.

Now you’ll have to excuse me. I have a date with my little guy to play cars. I’m going to be Doc Hudson. He’s going to be Lightening McQueen.

Have a great weekend everyone!