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Friday, January 21, 2011

Are Social Sites Helpful or Harmful?

Chaz saw a mean mommy yesterday.   Apparently he was watching her real closely because later that night Chaz came up to me and said, "Mom, I don't care that you don't have a lot of money.  I just care that you are the best mom ever." and gave me a BIG hug.

My heart melted. 

Sometimes I think when kids have it good and they've been sheltered from the heartaches of this world, they don't realize what they have.  It felt so good to hear that. There have been times where the kids said I was mean because they had to do chores, go to school, eat their dinner, wear a jacket outside.  Little do they know that some kids don't have a home.  Even though some do, they go to bed hungry, don't have a coat to protect them from the cold, a parent that could care less where they are.  Some are scared and don't feel safe in their own homes.  Some make fun of their own kids for their weaknesses or maybe even disabilities. 

It's in the hurts in life that sometimes make us afraid to show our weaknesses and not be real around each other.  Because of internet, TV, movies, social sites, and video games, it's hard just to see a neighbor outside.  98% of the time I go outside, I don't see a single person down my street.  What happened to the kids gathering for a game outside, riding bikes, or just playing with their friends?  Sometimes I think it's so neat how far technology has brought us but then my heart is sad to see real honest to goodness relationships suffer.  I'm not talking about online friendships.  I mean the friends you can give a hug to, bring a meal to, or invite over for pie.  Is it we're scared to open up our real lives?  To risk them seeing our sink of dirty dishes and toys scattered across the floor?  That there is laundry baskets waiting to be put away? 

You know, inviting people over doesn't have to include a 7 course meal.  Homemakers By Choice once taught me that no one really cares WHAT you're feeding them.  They are just longing for friendship, fellowship, and hospitality.  Even if it's over chili dogs.  :)

You know, with that said, social sites have also done wonders in many other ways.  Such as bringing friends and family from far away together again.  Even old friends we lost track of!  It can be a blessing as long as it doesn't replace those around us.

Wrote The Little Boring Room on Meet Virginia.  Come and visit!
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3 comments:

  1. Milena BarrettJanuary 22, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    I agree. Nice to see soemone that feels the way I do.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    I agree too. It is so important to find balance. It takes courage to open up your life to others. Like you said, it is scary to risk the judgement of others. My experience has been when I do so, I find that others are much more like me then I thought. They have laundry and dishes and struggles with their children too. Seeing our similarities helps draw us together, but someone has to take the first step to open up. Your post is inspiring. Thank you!

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  3. AvitalJanuary 24, 2011 at 3:58 PM

    I think that it is not just because of social media sites taking up time, but also thanks to inflamatory news reporting, that parents are very afraid to let their children out of the house. Many parents don't think it is "safe" for their children to ride their bikes or play in the front yard. That mom that wrote the book "Free Range Kids" got labeled "the worst mom in the world" or something like that because she let her son (who was about 10 or 12) ride the subway line a couple of stops by himself. While there are definitely dangerous people in the world, the world is not nearly as unsafe as media leads us to believe, and is also full of good people.

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