Computer Time

Marta of Marta Writes had a great post about the time spent on the computer. She and her mom made some points that expressed perfectly how I feel.  I've read if you want to be a writer, it's vital to read as much as you can.  If you want to write poetry, read poetry; if you want to write novels, read novels.  Not only is the same true for blogs, but they are a vehicle for so many other interests; all types of writing, photography, cooking - you name it, it's out there. There is so much knowledge available on the internet about so many good things. Even learning about the styles of writing or photography is valuable. 

It all goes back to balance for me.  I need to balance my time between pursing my desires and building family relationships and other responsibilities.  I try to stick to an allotted time on the computer for blogging, additional time for writing and homework.  I know my weakness is to get absorbed in one thing, so I have to set a rough schedule for myself.

Along this line of thinking, I think it's interesting that we want our children to pursue "worthwhile" interests, but sometimes condemn the time they spend on the computer.  I don't like my kids to spend too much time on the same mind numbing game (nor is it my favorite when they spend great amounts of time rereading the same books over and over).  I do allow them time on the computer, more if they are doing homework or researching an interest.  Maybe we should encourage them to use some of their computer (and reading) time exploring new ideas and experiences on the computer and developing interests.  One of my kiddos, was curious about html and started reading a huge text book and experimenting with it.  It was so cool when this kiddo made something in html that it stayed on the computer for days!

It's important to cut ourselves some slack and allow ourselves some down time and read for fun.  It's also important to allow ourselves to learn and grow, and allow the same for our children.