Confusion and other updates

Ok, when I talked with the kids last week, on of the overwhelming comment that I heard was, "I can't sit still for an hour."  Now, this was not just from one kid, nor was it just from one family.  It was from almost every kid there.

WHAT IS UP?!?!?!

I feel old when I start doing, "When I was a kid..." but when I was a kid, we could, and did, sit through church.  We were able to sit for an hour and even if we were bored silly, we still sat there.  I will admit that I sat at the end of the pew so I could see what was going on, but that was pretty much it.

Did I always understand the sermon?  I RARELY understood the sermon.  But we were there and we sat through the service.  We did not get up and run down the aisle.  We did not go out an chat with our friends.  And, truthfully, I would have never thought of telling the priest that I could not sit through the service.

I heard Ed Friedman, author of Generation to Generation, call us the generation of perpetual novelty.  We seem to need to be constantly stimulated.  I know that I have some difficulty with this.  As I type this, music is on in the background, and if I were not sitting in my office, I would probably have a TV on.  But when our children cannot go from the grocery store to home without watching a movie, or cannot go five minutes without texting someone, that is insane!  A friend of mine told me that her daughter, age 12, sent/received over 6500 text messages during the last billing period!  THAT IS INSANE!

Now, I know that I do not have children, but what are we doing to our kids!  And are we giving them excuses for not developing?  You know that the kids that told me they could not sit still heard that from someone.  And what do they do at school?  Do we have ADD rooms for them?  Maybe the reason they never learned to sit still is because they never HAD to sit still?  Granted, it is not the most pleasant thing to learn, for the child or the adult, but it is something that can be learned.

Are we doing something to ourselves and our kids by having the perpetual stimulation?

I remember, when we would travel, we would play games, like the ABC game where you had to find the letters in the alphabet before you drove past a cemetery.  Or we learned to read the map.  (My father would even try "short cuts" we would suggest.) Or drew, or whatever.  We learned other ways to keep our minds occupied.  We learned skills.  Were long trips a drag?  Yes, but that is why we left at o'dark thirty!  At least we slept part of the way.  (Well, my sibs did, I still can't sleep in a car.)

Oh well....

Updates:  I sent the letter to Miss Diva concerning the no-preaching gig.  Have not heard back.  Heard from the Asst. to the Bishop who reassured me that even though she was friends with this family, she could not condone the behavior and had my back.  That brought much relief.

Nick is in Acapulco on a business trip.  (REALLY!!)  I worried all the flight time and I will worry all the time back.  But Continental Airlines has a fun thing that you can follow flights so I was able to watch his progress.  We also Skype so not only am I able to talk with him, but also see him.  (AND THE BEAUTIFUL PACIFIC OCEAN HE CAN SEE FROM HIS BALCONY!)  And what is great is that it is free!  Ok, so I ranted a bit about technology earlier, but it does have its benefits.

Oh well, all for now.  Have a great day and do something where you have to actively keep your mind occupied.