Am I Old Fashioned?

Went to a Holiday Open House party with friends and neighbors yesterday. The older teens were given the option of attending or staying home. Both chose to come with us for a few hours. Before we left, my eldest asked if he could bring his IPod "in case I get bored". My response was an unequivocal "No. We are going to a party to socialize with other people. Face to face. If you don't want to do that, you should stay home." He didn't argue the point and the IPod stayed at home.

The party was split with mostly adults upstairs and kids of all ages downstairs. Because my 2 year old was floating between the two levels, I had to go downstairs frequently just to get a visual check on him.

Most of the kids brought their IPods or phones and were using them at various points throughout the afternoon. It seemed that the usage increased as the time ticked away. As if they ran out of things to say to the other kids within 20 minutes and reverted into playing games and texting people who weren't there. Within an hour, most of the kids were glued to their devices.

I don't get it.

Blame the kids? Blame the parents? Or is that simply the way we are headed? Are we veering towards a society where we don't actually talk to people but simply communicate through a 2x3 screen? Makes me think of that scene in Wall-E where everyone is shuffling along not actually talking to each other until he bumps one lady's monitor away from her face and she realizes that there is an entire world at her feet that she has never seen.

I talked to my sons about it when we got home. Declan said he doesn't get it either (he is very social and prefers to talk face-to-face. A lot.) but Angus said that not having his Ipod only made him feel more awkward, more like a 'loser' for being the odd man out. I understand about the need to fit in and conformity as a teenager, but really? What is the point of going to a social gathering if you aren't going to socialize?

Someone I know likened this activity to the bookworm of yesteryear but I don't think it is quite the same thing. I think we all knew the person who had their nose in a book instead of playing marbles on the playground. For me, it was my oldest brother who preferred the company of novels instead of us. But it was the exception ~ most of us were engaged in the discussion, play, activity, etc. The bookreader was the odd man out.

The norm today seems to be to not be engaged ~ or at least not fully engaged. Declan goes to a monthly dance at school... there is a DJ and dance floor in one room and a multitude of games going on in the other: chess, checkers, basketball, etc. DS reports that tons of kids that make the decision to leave their houses and attend this public event yet choose to spent the time on their IPod or phone, texting the friends who aren't there and playing video games. I have to ask: Why bother going? Is the satisfaction simply by sharing the same space with other individuals who are equally isolated? It just feels wrong to me.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who will say it is how kids communicate these days and we parents need to accept it for what it is and learn how to adapt to their way ~ but I have a hard time accepting this. I don't see the benefit to communicating electronically for 90% of your interaction (as the mom of a 2 yo, I certainly see the benefits to E-communication). People can behave differently when they can hide behind a computer screen. There are no consequences, that they witness, to the affect their words have on others. And we all know how sometimes what we intend to say and what is actually perceived are two different things. When talking face-to-face, it is easy to see the misstep in communication and correct it ~ electronically, this is much harder. But maybe that is the crux of the issue: maybe it is too hard to take ownership of your words and be responsible for the effect they have on others. It is easier to just blog it, text it, facebook it and move on with your life and let the chips fall where they may.

It isn't limited to just kids. It is easy to chalk the behavior of the kids up to their lack of maturation, lack of parental guidance and limits, lack of training... but the adults??? I don't understand what the need is. What is the void that the blackberry fills? Do we constantly need to have our finger on the pulse of everything out there but never really connecting to any of it?

Don't Bite the Hands that Feed You (a letter to Billy Starr)

This has been a difficult choice to make. We have tremendous admiration for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, its history, purpose, and the money they are able to raise year after year for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. However we are standing off our bicycles this year in our own silent protest of the administration of the PMC and some of the changes they have made recently.

Most notably, the PMC has raised the minimum fundraising to $4,300 per rider (on top of $170 registration fees). For both of us to ride, we would need to raise nearly $9,000.00. That amount is certainly doable, but we are not confident that it is a realistic goal for us year after year. The minimum fundraising requirements have been raised repeatedly over the past ten years to the point where it has become a deterrent to the cause for which the PMC was founded.

This hike in fundraising requirements have distinct benefits to the PMC. It limits number of bikers out on the routes of the PMC, which would helpfully ensure a safer ride. It reduces the amount of people they need to provide food and housing to as well as transportation of riders and bikes to start lines. In essence, it gets the PMC the most bang for the buck. But it comes at a price.

While there are some who will always be able to meet and exceed their fundraising requirements, we do believe for the average rider this tendency to continually hike requirements will discourage loyal long-term participants. We are lucky to have such strong supporters, such as yourself, but with each year that the minimum is raised, we need to either (a) find more friends and family or (b) ask our supporters to dig even deeper into their pockets than they have in the past. In consideration of these difficult economic times, it does not feel prudent to ask for more from those who have always stood by us. We understand that cancer does not recognize the economy, just as it does not have age requirements or prefer one socio-economic strata over another; however we are starting to question the tactics adopted by Mr. Starr and the PMC.

This increase in required fundraising will have some detrimental repercussions. There will be a higher turn-over of riders which means that those riding will:

1. not inherently have experience in fundraising for the PMC

2. not have experience with the routes and physical strain of the event itself. This will increase opportunities for dangerous situations on the road.

No matter if a registered rider actually completes (or participates in) the ride or is able to raise the required funds, the PMC still obtains the full amount promised. Upon registration, a rider provides his credit card information to the PMC which will immediately charge any outstanding balance after the fundraising deadline has been met. Can you afford to make a $4,000 charitable contribution, year after year, until the next time Mr. Starr decides to increase it even more? We can't.

Mr. Starr has forgotten the purpose of the origin of the PMC of thirty years ago: to raise money AND awareness in the fight against cancer. He has perfected the former but we wonder if he is really being most effective in the latter at this point. Riding in the PMC should not be an exclusionary club that only the wealthy can participate.

So we won't be riding the PMC this year but we will still be making a financial contribution directly to the Jimmy Fund. We recognize that you have been a faithful supporter through these years by supporting our rides. For that we sincerely thank you and pray that we can count on your continued support in the future. For this year, if you would still like to make a contribution to help in this fight against cancer, please follow the link below.

http://www.jimmyfund.org/gif/gift.asp

Jumping

After weeks of 'practice jumping', Isaiah is getting closer and closer every day to actually getting off the floor. I have no clue as to why he insists on jumping on the red floor mat I keep in front of the kitchen sink, but here it is

He will spontaneously grab the mat and start jumping but seems to enjoy it much more when Steve or I join in. You can see his little brain working as he watches, his body readies, and then ... after a processing delay ... he JUMPS.

Cracks me up Every Single Time. Enjoy!

Made in China

It isn't that I am anti-China (is that a word?) but I find it alarming that so many more products and foodstuffs we consume are imported from and created in China. I understand about the cheap labor but believe me, I would be more than willing to pay ten times the amount I normally pay for sidewalk chalk if I could be assured that it doesn't have asbestos, lead, or any other dangerous chemical in it.

The other day while doing my weekly grocery shopping, I found these

http://www.ausometreats.com/home.php

and thought hmmmm.... thats not bad, 66% fruit ingredients ... not bad for a 'gummie'. No geletin, no artificial colors or preservatives, not even any HFCS. It even claims, right on the front, "Made from American Grown Fruit". I was attracted to that. It isn't like I'm all woo-hoo Gotta buy American, but I do believe that the USA does tend to be a tad more stringent on testing for safety when it comes to food.

And then, buried on the back, it says "Made responsibly in China". Booooo. I'm sure China is capable of making some products responsibly but geesh, they don't really have a superb track record nor are they forthcoming to owning up to their 'mistakes' when caught and evidence is presented against them.

A company (and country) that is willing to knowingly put lead into a child's trinket toy, or harmful chemicals in their milk forumla, or a mystery ingredient (yet to be identified) in flouride added to 40 Massachusetts community wells doesn't win any points in my book. I will still try to choose products Not Made in China and continue to advocate and write to companies who do. Sometimes, there just aren't other choices readily available to consumers but perhaps if more Americans are willing to be slightly inconvenienced and pay more for a safe product, some changes might happen.

Neighbors and Cookies

We are fortunate to live in a quiet neighborhood full of children. Isaiah is the youngest, but there are 3 other boys within 1.5 years of his age. A walk down the street often reveals plenty of playmates to tandem play with.

I have a new appreciation for thumb-print cookies. Much more labor intensive than I had planned on, these are well worth the effort, even if it is just once a year. Recipe to the right...

Warning: These are not for diet watchers.

Spring 2010

What a relief. What a gift of sunshine and warmth after local flooding (not our house) followed by more rains. I don't think I have ever seen the lawn raked so early in the season. Angus showed Isaiah how to look for bugs in rotted wood and under rocks, so now the little man runs from stick to rock, peering in and under to find "Buh Buh Buh"

We spend a LOT of time collecting sticks, rocks, pinecones, and acorns. I only recently discovered that the back of his trike has a dumping feature. Isaiah can't quite manage unlocking the mechanism yet, but he will soon...

Here at the Hauser Household, we like to start chores at an early age. When we rake, so does Isaiah.

New Business!

In the middle of a snowstorm, Declan hand delivered flyers to all our neighbors, advertising his new business "Walkway Shoveling". Any size walkway, any size snowfall for a mere $6. He made nearly $30 in two days! How awesome is that?!?