Techie Luis. Is it too much?

(another backlog post)

My son is growing up in a very different world than I do. For the past Christmases, his wishes revolved around gadgets, and more of it! He has asked for DS Lite, Iphone, PSP, Samsung Tablet, Galaxy Note, and just recently, XBox! Naturally, as what a loving mom would do (or not) ... give in.

I couldn’t help but feel a flashback to my own childhood when I would ask my mom for scented stationery, a handbag, or a pink dress. Was I just being a girl? Or did I actually come from the past era? While I was reveling in this cycle-of-life moment, Luis tapped my shoulder and yelled, “Yay, kinect sports!" Say what?!

The truth is my 8-year-old son knows words and concepts that I never knew in my childhood. GTA, Soul Calibur, Minecraft, cheats, tethering, and the list goes on... When he wants music, he watches You Tube. When he wants to talk to me, he would text me rather than call me. When he's being sweet, he includes smiley and other emoticons in his messages. He calls his lolo using the iphone even if we have a land line. And when I tried to gift him a book to read, he looked at me like I just pulled a joke on him.

C'mon! Is there something wrong with me? Should I slap a loser label on my forehead? Or is he getting too much techie?

If I hear my kid talk a 'foreign language' more often than not, then that means he's growing up in a totally different world... (Times have changed. Forget my childhood.) That's one sign that he's getting too much of it. While it is good to be tech savvy, it is also important that we assess what role does technology play in our kids’ lives? It wouldn't hurt if we regulate and still be in full control of the whole situation. Set limits and be consistent with the rules. Don't break the rule yourself, rather, set a good example. (Facebook time = 1 hour/day, max! or when he's asleep =)

Of course, it's always better if they learn to do the things we used to do during our childhood days like walking the dog, setting the table, taking care of pets, and so on and so forth. =) {dream}