Technology is my life; my computer is my work station. I work from home and my computer-with all its precision and glitches, is my buddy. I couldn't work as I do without my techno-buddy for sure.
Computer technology with its many advances and evolving skills is truly a necessity in our lives; no doubt about it. The point is- it's not the only necessity in our lives.
While the quick paced tempo of our digital world is de rigeur for most of us, the need for the quick pace exists for outdoor playtime too. We need to get out and the re-visit classic lawn games with our family and friends. There's a reason they're considered classics, really.
We're so addicted to email, Facebook and chatting. We forget to go outside and smell the roses, take and walk and dare I say, play a game with our kids? A hug for a volleyball smash is priceless; human touch can inspire the human brain more than a Facebook timeline. Get out there with your croquet mallet and it's wicked 'good'; it doesn't take long to remember why classic lawn games were always so much fun.
I write professionally about recreational sports. I love what I do but I believe, fervently, that all the computer techno-advances in the world will never replace the importance of human connections build while playing classic lawn games--games like badminton, croquet, speedminton, bocce ball and so on.
Playtime is every bit as important and necessary as sleeping and eating. Humans are designed to play; we need that endorphin upsurge. Make time for classic lawn games and you'll see I'm right.
The human connections built through recreation and sports are beyond priceless in terms of the human quality of life. Yes, we can build connections in the digital world but these are not the same; they lack depth and spontaneity. An emoticon is not experienced the same as a true wink of the eye. There is a missing link between the winker and the winkee. A video replay has its benefits but it's not the same as seeing, breathing, experience a volleyball smash up in person. These very real, shared personal connection add a quality to our lives that can't be felt any other way.
No family should overlook the benefit of playing classic lawn game. Pick up basketball? My kids and I have our best conversations while trying to 'dunk' it. It's a great stress reliever for all of us and a way to rejuvenate after a work or school day. Just getting outside makes us feel refreshed and it often leads to closer, more intimate conversation that what might occur otherwise.
My two girls returned recently after visiting the home of some friends, each of whom had a flat screen tv in their bedroom. Given that most kids are connected to their iphones, ipads, ipods and laptops daily, is this really a gift to a child or a detriment? When does a parent say "enough?"
Do you think an ichat or skye conversation is ever truly going to replace the kind of talk that occurs when playing badminton, or volleyball or? There just is, and in my humble opinion, never will be, a substitute for that kind of 'up close and personal' human contact.
Really it's all about boundaries. Parenting requires an adult to set boundaries for kids. Some professionals tell us kids really want boundaries, though, of course, they would never ask for them. At our house, Friday night dinner is a mandatory attendance. It's a family tradition to go around the table and share what 'went' right with our day. It is an antidote to digital overload, no matter how brief.
My 'human connection' campaign is proving successful, partly because I keep our yard shed full of a variety of classic lawn games. Variety helps keep the mojo high and we sometimes have to start the fun by flipping a coin to decide which game to play on a particular after school evening.
When studies are numbing the brain, our stockade of classic lawn games is a true blessing and great rescue remedy. They're also fun.
The fun factor? My family and I--we never can never have too much of that.
Computer technology with its many advances and evolving skills is truly a necessity in our lives; no doubt about it. The point is- it's not the only necessity in our lives.
While the quick paced tempo of our digital world is de rigeur for most of us, the need for the quick pace exists for outdoor playtime too. We need to get out and the re-visit classic lawn games with our family and friends. There's a reason they're considered classics, really.
We're so addicted to email, Facebook and chatting. We forget to go outside and smell the roses, take and walk and dare I say, play a game with our kids? A hug for a volleyball smash is priceless; human touch can inspire the human brain more than a Facebook timeline. Get out there with your croquet mallet and it's wicked 'good'; it doesn't take long to remember why classic lawn games were always so much fun.
I write professionally about recreational sports. I love what I do but I believe, fervently, that all the computer techno-advances in the world will never replace the importance of human connections build while playing classic lawn games--games like badminton, croquet, speedminton, bocce ball and so on.
Playtime is every bit as important and necessary as sleeping and eating. Humans are designed to play; we need that endorphin upsurge. Make time for classic lawn games and you'll see I'm right.
The human connections built through recreation and sports are beyond priceless in terms of the human quality of life. Yes, we can build connections in the digital world but these are not the same; they lack depth and spontaneity. An emoticon is not experienced the same as a true wink of the eye. There is a missing link between the winker and the winkee. A video replay has its benefits but it's not the same as seeing, breathing, experience a volleyball smash up in person. These very real, shared personal connection add a quality to our lives that can't be felt any other way.
No family should overlook the benefit of playing classic lawn game. Pick up basketball? My kids and I have our best conversations while trying to 'dunk' it. It's a great stress reliever for all of us and a way to rejuvenate after a work or school day. Just getting outside makes us feel refreshed and it often leads to closer, more intimate conversation that what might occur otherwise.
My two girls returned recently after visiting the home of some friends, each of whom had a flat screen tv in their bedroom. Given that most kids are connected to their iphones, ipads, ipods and laptops daily, is this really a gift to a child or a detriment? When does a parent say "enough?"
Do you think an ichat or skye conversation is ever truly going to replace the kind of talk that occurs when playing badminton, or volleyball or? There just is, and in my humble opinion, never will be, a substitute for that kind of 'up close and personal' human contact.
Really it's all about boundaries. Parenting requires an adult to set boundaries for kids. Some professionals tell us kids really want boundaries, though, of course, they would never ask for them. At our house, Friday night dinner is a mandatory attendance. It's a family tradition to go around the table and share what 'went' right with our day. It is an antidote to digital overload, no matter how brief.
My 'human connection' campaign is proving successful, partly because I keep our yard shed full of a variety of classic lawn games. Variety helps keep the mojo high and we sometimes have to start the fun by flipping a coin to decide which game to play on a particular after school evening.
When studies are numbing the brain, our stockade of classic lawn games is a true blessing and great rescue remedy. They're also fun.
The fun factor? My family and I--we never can never have too much of that.
About the Author:
How and you find the best classic lawn games? What's faster than a badminton birdie? Find out aboutthe speed of a speedminton shuttlecock and find out about the game that's the new European rooftop rage!. Also published at Why Classic Lawn Games? They Do It All- De-Stress, Exercise, Build Human Connections Plus They're Fun!.
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