I was so sad to read this article about how people are becoming more and more disconnected with nature. I've definitely observed it - people with the busy family life, constantly being plugged in, non stop screen time.
When I was a young girl, I remember having just one computer in our house. It was the family computer and we had to ask to use it and turn the modem on. We talked a lot as a family and I felt connected with my parents.
Then, as I became a teenager things changed. My family members began getting more technology and the living room wasn't the same atmosphere of laughter and connection I remembered. I remember one weekend morning when my parents were both on their iPad and laptop, and had this sudden realisation of how disconnected I felt from my family and I had my first blown panic attack. I know, a bit strange. I had a panic attack about my parents searching the web. But, that to me was the first glimpse I had into today's world of phone parents, iPad kids, and Netflix.
I feel fortunate enough that I had enough self control in high school to be pretty anti-technology and stay offline. I luckily grew up just before the iPad era. Some kids had iPods and cell phones became more popular when I was in high school, but they were the kind that your parents told you not to use the internet browser because if would cost way too much money.
I spent a lot of time with books and going on long runs on a nearby nature trail in high school. I took it upon myself to immerse myself in nature rather than relying on my parents to push me into it.
But I'm so worried for the next generation of young children - if busy working parents aren't exposing and encouraging play in the natural world, they'll grow up indoors on phones and continue this sad existence into adulthood.
