Monkey See, Monkey Do

I must begin this post by noting that I did NOT pose this picture. However, as I rushed to capture this hilarious moment on film the reality of all that it represents began to set in.

First, and foremost, my child is watching, and mimicking everything that I do. The responsibility of parenthood seems to be increasing exponentially everyday. Not that I didn't realize that my child would watch what I do and listen to what I say. I just didn't realize he would do these things so accurately and with such attention to detail. I must say I'm a little embarrassed, as I publish this post, to admit that I obviously spend a lot of time sitting in the recliner typing on the computer. My son has his own toy laptop, which he is using in this photo. He hasn't played with it much, but today decided that as I was fixing lunch he had work to do. So, he promptly grabbed his laptop, climbed into the recliner and began to work. He was also unphased, and maybe even a little annoyed as I chuckled and took pictures when I noticed what he was doing. He thought what he was doing was perfectly appropriate. It is however what he sees mommy (and, in my defense, daddy) do regularly. So, why wouldn't he do the same? And I guess that's just it - am I really doing things regularly that I want my child to do as well? I have never subscribed to the "do as I say, not as I do" method of parenting. So, here I sit, a very imperfect person and therefore imperfect parent, trying to analyze the habits I want my son to mimick and those that I need to stop so that he won't try to mimick them.

In addition to this reflection on parenting (and my own shortcomings) I also had a realization of how truly different the world is today than it was when I grew up (and I'm not that old :). I remember when I was teaching middle school the principal was always reminding us that we (the teachers and administrators) are technology immigrants and our students are technology natives. We have learned the language, and in some cases speak it well, but we'll always struggle a little and have an accent. The generation behind us, however, doesn't know anything else. Collin will never know a world without the internet or cell phones. He'll never know a world without the internet ON your cell phone. He'll never know a home without a computer (or two or three). He'll never know film, VHS tapes, portable CD players - those things that were such a big deal when I was young. He'll never know a world without facebook, online library book renewal. He'll never know Encyclopedia Brittanica. WOW!! It is truly amazing.

Again, I don't think I'm that old, but when I begin to examine all of the technological advances that have become common place in my lifetime it is astounding and no wonder that my students always thought I was so old. Good grief, Collin will think I grew up in the dark ages. Then, I think of my grandmother who is 87 years old and still mows her own grass with a push mower and can find her way around the computer and the internet as well as the rest of us, and oh the stories she has about the changes SHE has seen in her lifetime. She remembers when her family first got a car. If we've come that far in her lifetime, what on earth is coming in the rest of mine?????