Are Our Kids, Reading and Writing? By: Lori Loesch

Lately,  I’ve been made aware of a disturbing trend.  Young people do not read. Young people do not write.  My 21 year old chastised me for a post I had posted on FaceBook. It was funny, I had fun writing it, and it helped me rid myself of something. I felt better after writing and posting.  At the bottom of the post, I made a disclaimer:  I’m a writer, GOT IMAGINATION? 

When Jules came to me about, “what are you posting?”  I said, “Didn’t you read to the bottom?”  I said, “I’m a writer, Got Imagination?”  His exact response to me was, and I quote,  “Mum, no one reads the whole post!”  What! My brain had a melt down!  No one reads a short paragraph?

Not his young generation.  When I had written my first blog post for Motherhood Later Than Sooner, He told me that it was too long.  Dear, sweet, Robin Gorman Newman, who’s also a writer, said that my blog was a little on the short side.  That’s what I thought.  What do kids know? 

Listening to the local radio station, the other morning, on my daily drive to the local store for cigarettes, I heard the DJ say, something about emails and how guys type the shortest, to the point emails.  The kids today have a new language; BRB, IDK, etc.  She agreed, that it’s not good to write a novel, no one reads a novel, said she.  I was mortified! 

                                                                          No one reads a novel

It stinks…Neither do I, anymore.  I say it’s due to macular degeneration, that makes reading uncomfortable for me. I hate it. I was an avid reader. I could finish a novel in a weekend, if it kept my interest, when I had kids!  There was no social media, though.

It is a daunting experience, to have all the articles, from social media, that I’d love to read, coming at me.  There have been more times than I want to admit to, where I started to read a blog on, Motherhood Later Than Sooner, MLTS, only to stop mid point, to finish dinner, laundry, or whatever, hoping to get back, and finish, and post a nice ‘thank you’ to the writer, but I didn’t.  

My mind won’t let me forget my sin!  To this day I want to go back, read the , long blog, and say, thank you. 

Do we have too much coming at us from all sides?  I think so. When I would wake and read the local, morning newspaper, with a coffee, it didn’t take long before I finished, and was on to my work.  But, however, social media, keeps presenting me with, article after article.  I could sit for hours, and not get a single thing done!

My friend said that she stayed off FaceBook, one evening, and got the dishes done!  I’m not alone!  She said she sits for 2 hours sometimes.  My daughter’s Animal Jam friend, from her local school, said that she had been on AJ, for 2 hours, and had to go.  I won’t tell you how many hours my darling daughter spends, learning, reading, and playing on her lap top.  She’s an outdoors kind-of-girl, like her mum, and I’m glad for that.  She has wanted to be a Paleontologist, since I can remember, but now she’s talking about ‘animation’.  Could she be the next Notch?  Who developed Mind Craft for his own playing, pleasure, only to have everybody in the world want to play it too?  I’d like to know how many hours he spent on the computer as a child. 

I must “Let It Go”.  It’s in God’s hands.  Everything is and I’m, becoming, ok with that.  Why worry about things that are bigger than me?  This is 2014, and I don’t see computer viewing going anywhere soon!  We did have a grid problem last week.  We had nothing, zilch, na da!  No phones, landline or cell, no internet, and no TV or TiVo.  My daughter and I went swimming, at the pool.  My son went to his Keller Williams office in State College, to be connected.  He was told, by Comcast, that the problem would be solved by 4:00 pm.  It wasn’t. The evening was quiet, and for me, wonderful.  Faith and I played a board, “bored”, game.  

By 10:00 pm., still no connections, Jules and Faith were fighting as I have never seen them argue!  The words were flying and neither wanted to stop!  The T.V. came on at 2:00 am. We heard the little start up ‘ding’.  

I have seen posts on FB, how people my age grew up. With sugary drinks, no gluten free stuff, nothing was organic, and we all lived!  I read a blog about a mum, I think it was ” The mind of a mom”, where she went on about all that she can worry about.  It was funny, and oh so true.  It helped put things into perspective for me.  Stop It!  How can I worry about the corn flakes that my kids eat?  They are not the ones that my 92 year old grandmother ate, but I was.  It added nothing to our quality of  life. 

So…Mums out there, eat veggies and fruit, even if they are not organic, go to the pool, in whatever you feel comfortable in, and DIVE, JUMP, and SWIM, in the cool water!  Have fun with your kids!  After all, I’m not at the pool to impress anyone, I’m there to give my daughter memories!  Her mum can dive, and swim, and laugh, and have fun!

Have a  Happy,  Fun,   Act as a Kid,  Summer!  

And, a little shout out to my friend, V.  You showed me how to have fun with my second born. Something I did, easily with my first born.  I guess, I forgot what it was like, to cherish those moments, each and every moment.  I forgot what it was like to let go and have a blast with our kids!  The second amusement park ride is not as exciting as the very first one.  Oh the things we put our first born through!  And thanks to you, I will put my second born through the same things!  Love you!        All because of a little ride on a go-cart, at the park!  I’m so glad you did, and I’m so grateful that you and Faith shared the experience with me! 

Tags: be a kid, dive, have fun, kids not reading or writing, laugh, Motherhood Later Than Sooner, reading, swim, swimming pool, writing, young kids