Playing Games and Such

Don’t kids go outside and play games anymore? At the risk of appearing “old” (and I am old-er) and out of touch, I can remember when every afternoon and most of the day (after “chores”) Saturday was spent somewhere in the yard, the neighborhood, the park, the ball field at school, or the woods behind the house. We ran and jumped and climbed trees, rode bikes and wooden boxes with makeshift wheels, stole secret swims in the creek, and invented games to chase each other.

Now it’s all “organized” sports (which means it is for the parents, not the kids) and computers (read: laptops, i-pads, smart phones, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and those AWFUL “games” mostly about mayhem, crime, and war).

Feel free to say, “We can’t go back to the dark ages, Christian.” I know that. I just long to see kids being kids and not spending hours (believe me, I know) glued to a HD Monitor, or with a smart phone attached at the ear.

Kids who don’t get to be “kids,” are kids who attempt to think like adults  without the information and understanding that comes from years of experience. That’s a dangerous thing.

I wonder how many kids spend some time each day in God’s Word under the tutelage of a wise parent? I wonder how many kids are fascinated by the incredible World outside their living room or bedroom where they hunker down around the x-box?

Most people (a chosen exaggeration) say “kids need to be kids.” But their action is to buy them a new phone or  video game or . . . .

A man from Saskatchewan took his two kids to visit their grandparents in Phoenix over the Christmas holiday, he decided to let his kids stream movies such as “Curious George,” “Spider-Man” and “Shrek” from his Netflix account using the kids’ grandfather’s air-card on his laptop. Little did he know that once the grandfather got the bill from his wireless provider, he would be in for quite the shock. His bill totaled more than $10,000 for what his cellular provider clarified as roaming charges and constant Internet. (Yahoo News)

I llove my grand kids. I want them to play in, see clearly, hear the sounds, and understand the beauty of a field or forest, to chase a squirrel, to pick up rocks, to climb a tree. I think that is God’s plan too. After all, He lloves them more than I do.