Having teenagers around is a very challenging time of life. Yesterday, our church was setting up for a garage sale to support a missionary from our congregation. I sent our 2 oldest children there to help carry boxes, etc (nothing like young people to do the manual labor!!). They did great, however, our oldest (15 and will be 16 this summer) saw a computer. He really wanted this computer for his room. Now let me give some backround. He has a laptop already in his room (it's keyboard is not great and he has to plug in a different one in order to use it), we also have a nice desktop unit in our "office" room....which is fine except it doesn't like to "talk" to our printer. I asked him why he needed this computer when we already have 2 others (the one at the garage sale was older that both of our models). He said he wanted to be able to play games without his sisters bugging him. I said that he could do that in the office because it has a door that could be closed. Then he said that he has no life because we don't have modern technology in our home (i.e. internet, cable, his own cell phone....). I finally put down a firm no and that was the end of that!
I got thinking about that "no life" comment. I think a lot of that stems from hanging out sometimes at a friends home who has all the modern conveniences of life including an almost unlimited time on internet and playing on the computer. The friend is a nice kid (a little geeky....but nice). Then I was thinking.... how would hanging out by yourself in your room give you a life? We have a no game/tv in bedrooms rule that really drives him nuts. However, I think that kids need to learn how to be part of the community/family. Thankfully, he is very involved in our statewide youth leadership program and has an interest in serving at camp this summer (probably that is a glorified way of being out of the house). Our churches youth group is lacking real leadership and challenge....that is a different issue, however.
After he completes driver's ed he will have to get a job (this will be awesome!!) in order to be able to drive. Part of our deal is that children will have to pay for their portion of the monthly insurance and their own gas. Probably will have to buy their own car too...but can probably use ours to begin with.
I hope that he will be ready to "have a life" because that means responsibility and being part of the community! Ah....the joys of growing up!
2 comments:
Why is it, we are such a hurry to grow up and then when we get there, we want to be a kid again????
amen, Vickie!
I'm still in shock that Elias is almost ready to drive!! yikes!
Mary, I like your calm approach. We go through that too, with our kids - wanting to have cable, wanting their own DS (they are able to use "mine", which means they mostly play on it, not me!), wanting this, or that, because some kid they know has it. We've talked a lot about being sociable - that is the reason I don't like Gameboys & the DS - it puts kids into their own little bubble. I want the boys to interact with others, to learn to play nice. :)
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