Generation Hand-Me-Downs-Sept 5

August Book Winner: Jane S. from Wasola, Missouri

The September book drawing will be for my new co-authored book: A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday
Send me an email writecat@consolidated.net or post a comment here to enter your name. Drawing will be held Sept. 30, 2008.

Check out the new Christmas blog inspired by this book, more contests for gift basket and books begins on Sept. 15th at blog:
http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/

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I’m fast falling behind in my knowledge of technology; I'm seemingly stuck in the electric toaster and can opener generation. While I own a few of the newer gadgets, if operational skills were rated, I’d be on the tail end.

I want to buy a few more, but I don’t want to invest two college hours to learn how to turn them on and off. An iPod would be nice, but I’d prefer a grandma-version, storing only 50 tunes.

I’ve mastered the basics on my cell phone and use the camera feature, but my regular digital camera does a better job and doesn’t need film. Wonderful. Through trial and error, I triumphed to upload photos from its tiny disc onto my computer.

It’s obvious to younger members of my family that my techno skills are on the lower end of basic. I can’t even keep up with the coined lingo to describe all the new products. Another thing that I’m falling behind in is “savvy.”

My husband and I don’t watch that much television, but when we do, one of us usually tries to explain the commercials to the other one. And some of the commercials still “zoom, zoom, zoom” right over our heads.

To record a television program or add more memory to a computer, seek help from the thirty-ish age group or even younger, like a six-year-old. Folks past 50 do have admirable skills: we can help those younger because we have accumulated life experiences that can’t be uploaded from a computer. They’re transferred through human contact.

Paul wrote Titus telling him that reverent women should, “Train the younger women to love their husbands and children.” (Titus 2:5). Husbands don’t come with an owner’s manual, and wives aren’t factory programmed to love their husbands for 50 years. Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Marriage and family skills are often taught and caught from an older person.

A child needs constant attention, love, care, and disciplines to emerge a whole person, one who can pass along good parenting skills to the next generation. So far, there’s not a parenting machine that will introduce children to God, kiss them, change their diapers, and teach them social know-hows.

Younger families, you have great resources beyond devices -- mature older folk. They may save you from a few stumbles. Look to them. They are the real advances in this generation.

All our gadgets bring some help to life but genuine help is found in living breathing people. Older generations, you who have tried all the sugary cereals and are now into fiber brands, look out for the younger families. Come along side of them. Many are just beginning to open their boxes of Cheerios and they need your backing.