The web

In an ideal world (my ideal world) my children would not watch television or play video games on ipads or ipods or smart phones. We would not even own a television or need a computer; there would be no angry birds. We would sit quaintly by our wood burning stove, I would get impressive amounts of knitting done and they would charm me with their intellect, with their vocabulary, and with their tireless pursuit of all things literary.

I don't live in that world. I'm not sure I would really even like it all that much if I did. I'd probably get bored of knitting and wish I could get online and order a new sweater from Anthropologie or some such place and just be done with it. I would tire of my children's company and wish they'd leave me alone for a bit and go watch a show.

So we spend our time trying to find a good in between - a space we don't mind occupying. To this end my girls watch a few movies on Saturdays, they have an impressive library of "educational" games on Chris' ipad (including that really special one where they get to manage the wardrobe of a digital tween and do her makeup too), and they shoot virtual slingshots at pigs and things a few times a week.

But the full potential of the internet had yet to reveal its magic and its power to Bela - who by my calculations is about 5 years behind your average kid in all things computer.

This very curious 7 year old girl has made two very recent discoveries:

1) Google
2) Email

Recently, worn down by Bela's constant barrage of questions (and equally disgusted by my usual response to the attack: I don't know, Bela; Stop asking me questions, Bela; Go watch tv, Bela) I asked myself "what would a nice teacher-type, patient, loving mother do/say in this situation?" In my mind the response would go something like this: "I don't know my little buttercup, but let's go look up the answer together in a book."

Do they make books like that anymore?  I substituted "the computer". We googled it.

Here is a list of Bela's recent searches (as told to me by my computer's history function)

     How do I know what a bird is saying to me?
     How can I make a baby bird play with me in a certain way?
     What do baby birds like to do?
     How can I talk to a baby bird?

bird in a nest - a theme around here lately

Last week I emailed a mom from Bela's school to RSVP to a birthday party, which later had to be canceled because the poor girl was sick. Bela sat with me while I typed the message, and was just amazed that I could hit the send button and she would get it on the other end.

For the last two days, the moment she walks in the door she is at my computer opening up Entourage and starting a new message (which of course she already knows how to do without being shown). She wrote the following two messages to friends this week, and asked me to send them to the moms, since these 7 year old girls don't have their own accounts. Yet.

EMAIL #1

An email for Lucianna from Bela :) From bela

Lucianna,
 I am sorry you are  sick. That I decided you kan do everything   first at mi brthday party.  I was going to share a poem with you and here’s how it goes

 this  is my  trunk  I’m a tall tall tree in the spring time  the blossoms bloom on me they open. They open.
This is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the summer the winds they blow through me, I sway. I sway.

This is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the autumn the apples grow on me they drop, they drop.
This is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the winter the snowflakes fall on me. They fall, they fall.
Love bela I hope you come back tomorrow

And I was going to make clay model for you

EMAIL #2

From Bela to Nora

I’m sorry I messed it up it was 18 more days until my birthday party and there will be a tiny  hamster and that’s all I want to  tell you about and here is a song this is my trunk I am a tall, tall tree in the spring time  the blossoms bloom on me they open they open this is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the summer the breezes blow through me  I bend, I bend. This is my trunk I’m a tall, tall tree; In the autumn the apples fall from me they drop! They drop! This is my trunk I’m a tall, tall tree In the winter the snowflakes fall on me They fall, they fall bye love you nora from bela

Disclaimer: Bela asked me how to spell big words like "everything" and "messed" and "hamster". She copied the lyrics to the song/poem from a book she has. it took her forever. I love that girl.

So for now, we'll let her continue her exploration of the internet, one little baby step at a time. We'll let her pick out her movies on Saturday, and we'll sit down together on Sunday evenings at 6pm and watch America's Funniest Videos (if you haven't seen this classic lately, sit down and watch it with your kids. It brings a whole new level a hilarity to the show). And maybe one day we'll have a wood burning stove and a deck of cards and Bela will turn off the computer and ask me if I want to play Kings in the Corner with her.