My nephews and nieces have grown up so much. Back when I started this blog, they were nothing but toddlers, saying the darnest things, and happily allowing me to bounce them on my knees.
Now, the older ones have lost their baby fat, are too cool for hugs, are incapable of smiling for the camera (cause it's not cool, probably) and like to say "yo" (cause it's cool, probably). o_0
Even my boyfriend is cooler than me to them, because he plays some simulator-battle-real-time-war thingymajib on his iPhone and I don't. :(
Just the other day, the oldest (turning 12 in December this year), called me up at work. He had a pressing issue with me.
See, one fine day he just decided to google his full name (Why he would think of doing that at age 12 is beyond me. At age 12 I would probably google; "how to score 5As in upsr", or "which barbie doll has green eyes" wtf.) and stumbled upon this post. He was appalled with a few things:-
- That I had a blog. (He said it with a lot of pressure in his voice; either, disgusted that I had a blog cause blogs might be uncool in this day and age amongst children, or that I wasn't cool enough to have a blog.)
- That I posted a "horrible picture" of him (His words, not mine. But hey, when you're a child, doesn't that automatically give your aunty permission to post photos of you that they deem cute?
Maybe that's why he doesn't smile in pictures anymore, for fear that I would deem them cute.) - That his picture was so freely available on the Internet because his friends would definitely google his name and find that god-awful picture of him.
I certainly had a good laugh after that call :p
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It's obvious the course of time has caught up with us so quickly that they've grown so fast (even my 3 year old nephew insists of fist-bumping me instead of high-fiving me FML) and that the advancement of technology has helped that growing process along even faster. Which can be totally good and totally bad at the same time, I guess. They're so immersed in the world of the www, of iProducts, even Facebook (he also tells me that his whole class has Facebook except him cause my sister in law doesn't allow it yet heh)... Whatever happened to children and pure, simple imagination? Imagination, after all, is the best toy a child could have.
Which is why I was glad when I left to work this morning and saw this:
My living room, transformed into a "Level 3 Tent". Don't ask me what a Level 3 tent is and how it differs from a Level 2 Tent - I really have no idea. All I know is that I once made a tent similar to that when I was young (mine was probably so awesome that it was like, Level 49 or something), and I'm glad to see these age-old activities come out at home.
In the meantime, here's to children not growing up so quickly, and learning how to look up from retina screens to explore the vast corners of their maturing minds. :) I think a balance between tried-and-tested, and tech, will be best.
P/S: And Joel, if you decide to google your name again.... HELLO! WEN KOR LOVES YOUUUUUUU. <3 <3 <3 HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Now how's that for embarassment. :D
Now how's that for embarassment. :D
