Our daughter thinks I'm crazy. I still have a check book and I still mail out my bills. She, of course, does everything online. I know it saves time and a trip to the post office, but, you know, I kinda enjoy going to the post office in the next town. It is right on the way to their library. Hobby Lobby is also on the way, so I do occasionally make a slight detour (or rather, my car does!). What's the line from Skyfall? "Sometimes the old ways are best".
There are a LOT of "old ways" I want to teach the grandchildren. For example, yesterday I had to pick up the now BIG first grade granddaughter, since every Wednesday her school gets out 2 hours early so that the teachers can meet together and plan. So, Wednesday afternoons are our time together. We went to that library and checked out 14 books (and a book bag). She's never read, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"!!!!! SAY WHAT? EVERY first grader has to read that book! She hasn't read the Frog and Toad series, so I checked out one of those books for her. SHE picked out "The Gingerbread Pirates" and something about a Christmas goose (not cooked, thank goodness!)
We then went and sat at the Aspen Mills little cafe (very tiny) in the building and split a chocolate chip muffin. That's part of our Wednesday routine. They usually have chocolate chip cookies, but were all sold out by the time we got there yesterday.
She told me she is growing radish seeds for her science class (they switch teachers for this), so I asked her if she had ever been to Lowe's (it is on the way to her house) and she said "NO", so we stopped there. they had their Christmas tree lot already going and...SIT DOWN! This kid has NEVER seen a live Christmas tree or smelled one! So, we went inside the lot, touched them, and smelled them. .... (shaking head...) They have a fake one that they put up every year...
I'm going to teach her how to sew and how to grow things in the garden. And, maybe how to put a stamp on a letter. I want Papa to teach the grandkids how to use a bow and arrow because he did that in college and he's very good at it.
What about you? What are you teaching your grandkids?
Both of those grandkids WILL know how to cook, but they need to know how to raise their own crops. I believe that will be a valuable quality to have in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that is great what you are doing. I have never been a part of the child rearing process but I just have a common sense feeling what you and people like you are doing is definitely the right thing to do. Like you, I too stick to a few old ways. Not being a phone person I will drive 10 miles to ask someone a question before I will phone them. Self driving cars are an appalling thought. Ordering groceries on-line then going to pick the up...What!! I like going in the store. I pay cash for a cup of coffee and would never dream of pulling out a credit card for that. And my list goes on...….
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine a child who has never enjoyed the smell of a fresh Christmas tree? I was shocked until I realized that they have a fake one! I mean, we go up to the mountains (and pine trees) during the summer, but I don't think she made the connection to Christmas trees. So many things her generation can do that I never did. For example, last night she put in a DVD and started it up using the remote. AT AGE 6! I remember when we got our first computer at home. I had to ask our son HOW TO TURN it on!!!!! Coffee pots that turn themselves on, YouTube TV, Alexa...just some of the things my generation certainly didn't have as kids!
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