Unexpected Gifts....

(Note: if you don't want to read this long post just skim or look at the pictures.  But, skimming through may make me appear nuttier than I really am......it's up to you :)

This year was a memorable Christmas.  For many reasons but for one in particular.  I got a very unexpected gift.  My husband gave me an iPhone.   Upon seeing the box I thought it was being used to hide some other gift like a watch, nail polish or, well, certainly not a real live iPhone.  But I opened the box and there it was.  Let me give a little background on me and cell phones.

I've never really had a cell phone.  By this I mean I could hardly remember to bring it anywhere that would make it useful to me.  My kids always got a hold of it and my sweet husband would find my phone in the toy box, in the couch or in the hands of our babies which would be in their mouths. (I'm not exaggerating about any of this either.)   Well, who knows what happened to that phone.  Most likely it's still here lurking in some ambiguous place.

Well some time went by and I did start to feel like I should have something for emergencies.  So again, my sweet husband, I'm sure desperately wanting me to join the ranks of normal cell phone carrying people, obliged and got me a simple phone that allowed me to pay for the minutes as I needed them.  So, great, I put ten bucks on it and had ten minutes in case of an emergency.  Well, I don't know where that phone is either anymore.....

So, as I stared down at this "wonderful" (and I say wonderful, because that's a whole other paragraph) piece of technology it was with mixed emotions for sure.  In some ways I was not surprised he got this for me and I'll tell you why.  This whole blogging business has, I'm sure, raised the level of confidence my husband has for me and technology.  He has seen that I can now charge my camera, download pictures, move pictures on our computer, get to the pictures on our computer,  and create new files.  I can read his thoughts now, "if she can remember her camera to take pictures and charge it, she can do the same with an iPhone."

But yet again, I was very surprised because like I said, I still don't know where my other two cell phones are.

 "With this iPhone I Thee Wed," is how I felt upon pulling it out of  it's box.  Alright, let me digress for a minute.  Before you start to think I'm nuts, I'm certainly not.  I may put too much thought into things at times but I'm certainly not nuts.  And, luckily the only other likely person that might relate to me is my Best Friend and you can read her thoughts on cell phones here.

Alright, getting back to getting married again, to my phone.  I really feel that people form relationships and grow to love their phones.  That's what it looks like to me when they can't resist using it to talk to someone or text while in the middle of ordering or paying for something.     I don't ever want be this involved or in love with my phone.

When I looked at my husband after opening his gift, he said, "Babe, it's time."  And by this he meant, "Your oldest son babysits for you a lot now while you run errands, you have six kids, you this and that and that and this......" got it.  The sweet man has a point.  On the one hand I can see the point being made.

On the subject of natural child birth have you ever heard someone say, "woman didn't have epidurals back then and they had babies naturally all the time."  Right, "but if they had that epidural they most likely would have used it."  Well, I guess it's somewhat similar with the phone, I may be reaching here, but the technology is here to stay and grow.  So, like an epidural it's utilized all the time for making things easier and more comfortable (yes, you are comforted when you can know in the blink of an eye that your children are safe when you are twenty miles away) and it's a necessity, people will argue.  Well, I definitely thought my epidurals were a necessity.   Alright, that's one side of the coin, sort of.

I really could go on and on.  And I have thought very seriously about writing a research book on the implications this technology will have in our culture, on our children and so forth.  But, the implications have already landed, not much is implied, it's just the obvious that's staring at us and that's the other side of the coin that I have a hard time swallowing.

The obvious being that so many people isolate themselves with their technology when they are among others.

This is where the phone comes in.  Really, I just don't want it to become yet another distraction for me or my children.  Be it an iPod, iPad, iTouch, or iPhone-I can't stand the thought of my children being in the house plugged into something all the time.  Take the iPod for instance.  What's the fun anyways in listening to music alone?  If we're in the house together let's listen to the music together and have a dance party!!!!  You can listen to it by yourself when you are running/exercising.  This is what I'll tell my kids if I ever need to.  Ya know, because I'm sure they're going to want  to have dance parties with their mom as teenagers.

 And then again, I'm sure my phone can be quite handy and useful.  And this is how I plan on making it so...

 I will take it with me when my oldest is babysitting.  I may use it to read sometimes.   I will use it to check the weather and I will certainly use it to help me stay organized.   For instance, one of the my New Year's resolutions is to make more lists.   The iPhone has great apps for lists and it will sync up with my email so any appointments and reminders coming through email will automatically be on my phone.  And I can have it give me reminders.  I do look forward to having it for these purposes.

Once, my husband said that "children are so capable with technology because they aren't afraid of it."  He said, "they will push buttons and try things and so they learn to use it."  Learning about technology and how to use it is analogous to learning a new language.   Children are around this technology from the beginnng, it's a part of their everyday life and they will know how to use it.

I held my new phone for two minutes when Kalen reached over and said, "here mom I'll show you how to change the ring tone, and if you do this, this will happen......"  he doesn't have his own phone and he doesn't need to in order to know how to use it, it's everywhere around him.

The language is a little harder for me to learn because I'm older and much more afraid of this stuff.  But, luckily the iPhone is really so easy to use.  It's very logical with the app approach.  If you want to change your ring tone you touch the box that says "settings."  Logical enough.

This is by far the longest post I have ever written and it's likely to be the last long post I write, since I don't like to get too serious.  But, seeing as this blog is like my journal I did want to put my thoughts down.   I really do have mixed emotions about this phone.  But, I can appreciate it too, I know.  I will try my best to make it worth while.


Here are some sweet pictures of my children.  If they ever wonder what they did before cell phones (meaning after they move out of our house because they didn't have one when they lived with us...:) I will show them these pictures.

Reece is building a rocket ship for his stuffed animals (he specifically said for his stuffed animals, so cute.)

Kalen and Gwyneth played Battleship during lunch time.  They got this game for Christmas.

Good fun and precious moments that don't include any technology. Just good imagination and old school games.  I will enjoy it while it lasts...............and hopefully that's longer than sooner.