^ Sorry, that was supposed to have paragraphs.

As a part of the generation in question, I can never help but to notice the fun irony of having these chats/debates on the internet. =) That being said, I've taken it upon myself this year to be sure to write holiday cards to friends -even the ones living in Europe-, mail them, and even put the artistic time into wax-sealing the envelopes. I'm not sure if it's as bad in your countries, but our postal system is facing serious budget problems, and may even go bankrupt (fantastic news from a federal agency). The price of stamps increases a couple cents once of twice a year, hours at the post office become shorter, and more and more, workers get laid off, have hours cut, or lose benefits. And let's not even get me started on how much I hate that I have to text all of my friends, because none of them want to have an actual phone conversation... I spent this past weekend with my teenage cousins, and couldn't help but to notice how distant I am from the rest of the generation. Where their big achievement is to see who can beat a video game faster; mine is to become a bit better at building a model that looks like a shrunken version of the real thing. They spend hundreds on games; I spend hundreds on model paints and supplies. But ask them to sit down and build a simple kit, put all the required tools before them, and the kit is done in minutes with no detail. I love building simple kits because they allow me to focus on my painting skill-set. Even their father, my uncle, reads his paper on a new tablet. (I hate reading on a screen.) Sure, I have a Facebook to stay in touch with my friends. A cell phone with a keyboard is a requirement when looking for a new phone. But at what point did things go so horribly wrong, that even the adults got wired in? At what point did it start making sense to anyone, that my Grandmother have a Blackberry?? I have no clue.

correction - what you sow ;)

Well .. we are the only chance for them :) so .. let` s invest our time and show as much as we can. This is why I dont have a TV set at home, try to read to my daughter as often as I can, sing lullabies for good sleep. There is much to do, so let`s just keep this direction, cause it`s right. And than we` ll watch what would be their choise. I keep my fingers for what is precious and believe that what you saw ... :).

Okinawa - absolutely we agree. But we are both intelligent enough to know that the world has moved on. Yet how do we help our children to develop those relationships with local people and to understand that every waking moment does not need to be surrounded by electronic gadgets?