Parents these days...

I spent the first week in June as the 4 year old coordinator for Parkway's VBS, and it was so much fun! I hadn't been a part of a VBS since I was in high school, and I didn't realize how much I missed it. I really haven't worked with kids very much at all since I moved to Auburn (with the exception of Pine Cove, but that still didn't involve much QT with the kids). When I was in high school I babysat at least 3 days a week and served in the children's ministry as much as possible. Maybe it's just because I don't have that frequent interaction anymore, but I'm very surprised by the things I observe when I'm around kids now. It seems like they're never entertained enough, and they're growing up way to fast.

For instance, the teachers at VBS were constantly trying to make up games and attention grabbers because the children didn't know how to sit and listen or even how to just play together. I realize that they are 4 and their attention span isn't very long, but it was a little ridiculous. It's not too much for a 4 year old to sit and listen to a story. And they all expected to watch a movie in the classes. Really?! 4 year olds shouldn't be so media minded that they expect all information to come out of a television. It makes me wonder how much time and effort is put into some of these kids. I think that technology can be a very good and important tool for development and teaching children. But when it becomes the main source of learning and entertainment it honestly seems a little lazy on the parents part. Is that too big of a statement to make? All I'm wondering is why so many kids (very young children) have all of these games/movies/etc. to entertain them? What happened to playing outside and finger painting? And what happened to the social skills that kids developed when they took part in "normal" kids' activities? It's just weird to me. I saw these on this website. I know statistics are relative, but it is something to think about.

In the United States -

19% of children aged 1 and under have a TV in their bedroom.
29% of children aged 2-3 have a TV in their bedroom.
43% of children aged 4-6 years have a TV in their bedroom.
And this:

“I watch CSI…[S]he sits down and watches with me. I don’t know how harmful it is to her. It’s something gory, but it doesn’t seem to bother her. She hasn’t had any nightmares from it.”

-Mother of a 1-3 year old, Irvine, California

Why in the world would an infant need a TV in their bedroom?!?!

If I think about this too long I get aggravated, so I'm going to stop now. However, I definitely have more to say about kids growing up too fast. This may come in a different post.

A few of my favorite things...

I take a lot of things for granted. Recently, I've been thinking of the little things that I overlook in my day to day life. Some are HUGE blessings... some are just fun and make my heart happy. I thought you should know about these things.

#1- I LOVE storms!! I don't really know why, but they just calm me. In fact, there is a storm brewing in Auburn as I type. I think that my love for them started when I was younger. I began to see hurricanes as a common occurance at a young age, and I remember the excitement of preparing for them. Once everything was secured, I loved being able to settle in with my parents and spend real quality time together as we waited out the weather. For me, it felt as if the world stopped for a little while. No one could leave the house... the electricity was off... family came up from the coast to escape danger. It was fun to just hang out and play cards for a while.

In the spring of 2007, a terrible storm system came through Alabama. It included several tornadoes which destroyed parts of Enterprise, AL. I do hate that that had to happen. Really, I do have a heart. However, I remember spending the evening with my favorite Lucinda and my favorite Joel watching movies and laughing. That afternoon was one of my favorites from all my time in Auburn thus far.

#2- This, friends, is Auburn football. If you know me at all, then you'll know that I don't really get excited about the actual game. But I do love how for one day so many people can come together for one purpose. (This would be more beneficial in several other situations, but I'll take what I can get.) I love tailgating and hearing "War Eagle" as I walk across campus. Basically, I love the social aspect of it. And, sometime I even love how my neighbors celebrate... don't tell anyone though :)

#3-
and
I've become a hot tea fanatic. Especially Tazo tea. I think I'm up to 2-3 cups a day now... it's a problem. I've just recently added the black tea to my cabinet, and while it's not a favorite yet, I had to have something with a little more caffeine. It's a little ridiculous, but at this moment I have 3 boxes of this stuff in my cabinet.

#4- I didn't really realize how much I appreciated the common toilet until mine broke... 3 months after moving into this apartment. In 2005. All of the stuff on the inside keeps breaking, and I just keep "engineering" it all back together. Friends, the ASVAB said I'm mechanically inclined, but it lied. Safety pins and paper clips aren't really effective. Last week it broke again, but I'm waiting to fix it. I guess I'm just hoping it will fix itself. Until then, I have to stick my hand down the back to flush and hold the chain so it won't get sucked down the drain.

#5- This one is my favorite :)
FRIENDS!
As an only child, I get pretty attached to friends. They're like family. Unfortunately, a lot of times I keep few close friends and lots of acquaintances. I would like to be better at building close friendships. But no matter what kind of relationship it is, I love it! The people in this picture are in no way the only people I'm talking about. This just happened to be the first one I thought about. It's so great to have such a wide variety of friends, in so many places, with so many different strengths and characteristics. And I'm glad to say that the majority of the people I call my friend really are family... in a much more eternal way :) I thank God that He has called you to himself not only because it's good to know there's that support there, but also because I see the way that He is working in everyone's life and the way that people are serving him. It makes my heart happy.

Kids can be lame.

One of the shows that I used to watch (I'm 90% sure it was Home Improvement) had a producer by the name of Pat Richardson. This also happens to be the name of one of my P.E. teachers at the time. I used to seriously think that this show was filmed in Mobile and that's why my P.E. teacher was able to have both jobs.

I also thought that roads moved underneath cars instead of cars traveling across the roads.

And I thought that outer-outer space was real.

What a loser.