Growing Up Without Cell Phones - And Better For It

I’ve been watching an old show on Hulu lately called Glee and am absolutely loving it. Not just for the singing and the hilarious characters but for the fact that it’s “old-school.” Like, literally. It’s set in the days when there were no cell phones. Not one kid at that high school has a cell phone.

It’s so refreshing to watch! The kids actually interact with one another face-to-face or on their home phones. No distractions, no rudeness, just…normal. Like the good old days.

We didn’t have cell phones when I was growing up (80’s and 90’s). I didn’t get a cell phone until I was (I think) twenty-one. And it was a tiny flip phone. (I loved that little flip phone.)

Guess what? I was better off for it! Growing up, we kids played OUTSIDE. Oh sure, when Nintendo came out, I had one of those, but I also had balance. I loved playing outside. I loved (even more) reading, so I wasn’t on the Nintendo too much. Even rainy days would be spent reading or playing make-believe and very little Nintendo. Snowy days? Well, we’d be outside sledding or making snow forts until we were frozen, then hurry inside for a snack and hot chocolate, then rush right back outside until it got dark.

Those. Were. The. Days.

You don’t see that with most kids today. There’s no balance with electronics for most kids. Many parents have an easy out with the television and hand-held electronics. Don’t have to worry about the kid getting bored or the parents having to play with them or read to them. Nope. The sitter is an electronic device.

Photo from NY Times Article

My husband and I love walking on a beautiful trail that lines the Little Falls Canal, about ten minutes from where we live. Before Covid, we wouldn’t see many kids on that trail, especially when the weather got cooler or—Heaven forbid—it was snowing! But after Covid hit and families were tired of being cooped up together, we saw more families on that trail than we ever had. Actual families were walking and having picnics down there!! It was so refreshing.

Am I against technology? Of course not. But there has to be a line drawn. There must be balance. Otherwise, I fear what our future looks like. “Our future” meaning kids who can barely pull their eyes from their devices or can’t engage in proper conversation. Yikes!

 

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Binkini Bottom or Underwear - What's The Difference?

Last weekend, I tiptoed downstairs early in the morning to pour a cup of coffee and was hoping to hurry back upstairs without alerting any of my dogs that I was awake. I was, after all, just wearing a T-shirt and my underwear. Fine if I just had to open the door for Cole and Hitch, but Luke couldn't manage the ramp or stairs alone, so I would have had to put pants on if he had to go out.

Then I thought, wait…why do I have to put pants on? During the summer, I go out in my backyard to tan, and I’m only wearing my bikini, which is skimpier than my T-shirt and undies that I wear to bed.

Still, I couldn’t manage the thought of going out in my undies.

But why?

I’ve thought long and hard about this. We have a fenced-in backyard, and only two houses on the other side of the fence can see us if we’re in the yard and if they’re looking out one of their upstairs windows. And chances they’d be looking out the back window are slim, right? Even if they did, I still wear a bikini during the summer when it’s sunny so I can tan, just like I would at the beach.

So why can’t I help my dog in and out while wearing a t-shirt or tank top with undies?

Doesn’t seem to make sense.

What would YOU do?

 

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Saying Goodbye

My husband and I had to say goodbye to our oldest dog, Luke, this week. We adopted Luke when he was just a puppy. He came from a wonderful family who lived on a farm, and we chose him out of the puppies.

 

He lived fourteen years and five months. He had a wonderful life. He was loved, spoiled, loving, and caring and was one of my best friends.

 

Luke was the epitome of what every human being should be.

Love

Unity

Kindness

Endearment

 

That’s what Luke was. He loved all people and all animals. He never chased a squirrel or bird. He loved attention. And everyone loved Luke.

 

Luke is one of the “Border Buddies” in the children’s chapter book series I wrote. The third book in the series was recently released. I will continue writing these books in honor of Luke.

 

Before Luke crossed the rainbow bridge, I wrote something for my blog but hadn’t posted it yet. So here it is:

 

Have you met the border buddies yet? They’re my dogs and the stars of the Border Buddies series chapter books for early readers! The third book in the series was recently released.

 

A few years ago, I came up with the idea for this series because my two border collie dogs have such amazing personalities, and I thought it would be fun to have them star in children’s chapter books.

 

The first book, Border Buddies, introduces the dogs and follows them on an adventure in the woods. While my dogs were never lost in the woods alone, I wrote things based on experiences we had while walking them on the local nature trail (i.e. Luke not wanting to get near the little stream but Cole going in full force; Luke wanting to sniff around and rest while Cole wants to chase squirrels and bark up trees at birds, and so on).

 

As I was writing the first one, before it was even published, we fostered and adopted Hitch, a Mountain Cur mix. Naturally, I had to include Hitch in the series but without taking away from the border buddies too much. So the second book, Border Buddies Get a Brother, is to welcome Hitch into the family. Fun fact: how Cole acts towards Hitch in this book is basically how I see him acting if dogs could talk because Cole did NOT like Hitch when we first got him. Now they’re best friends.

 

The third book in the series, Border Buddies Help A Friend, is about the border buddies helping a friend who visits and hates winter. I got the idea because one of my greatest friend’s dog hates winter, and she made a joke one day about the border buddies (who love snow) getting Daisy (her dog) to like the snow.

 

These fun and furry tales are only seven chapters long and easy for young children to read. They can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online. The border buddies also ask that you leave a friendly review on Amazon and Goodreads after reading them!!

 

In honor of Luke, the first book in the series, Border Buddies, will be FREE for your eReader from April 13^th to April 16^th. Luke would love for you to read and leave a positive review on Amazon and Goodreads. And it would mean the world to me.