Hey Dad – Let’s play a game!

I’d rather spend time playing Ping Pong with Dad in the garage.

When I was a kid, we had an Atari set, a Defender & Asteroids arcade game
(actual stand up arcade games!), and a pinball machine in the basement.
We even had satellite TV- one of the first in the area!
But you know what I wanted to do more than any of those?
Play Ping Pong with my Dad.
Or “help” him tinker with the many classic cars
he would fix up as a hobby and for extra cash.
It was really the only time we had to talk about “stuff” and we got to learn
things about each other without THAT being the focus of our time together.

I wonder where we went as parents – when did we get shoved to the backburner?
What I see when I look around are that the screens of today have taken over.
The TV screen, computer screen, iPod/iPad/iTouch screen, smart phone screen…
Our kids are being turned into i-People.
(I want credit for this if Apple uses it, FYI)
We are screening out reality and disconnecting ourselves from the World.

Lately I’ve had the opportunity to play cards (Crazy 8s,WAR, 31) with my son, and I keep being reminded of these little moments where I got to spend time with my Dad.  There wasn’t a LOT of talking, but it was there.  And we could both send and receive the messages we both needed to get out.  Stuff that we wouldn’t say in front of the other kids.  Things we wouldn’t say if anyone else were around…

Take hold of people – real people – with thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Spend time with them and share the messages you need to say and hear.
Reconnect with yourself by reconnecting with others.

I think it could change your Life

Off the record, THIS is cool