Culture Shock

I may be right, I may be wrong, but at least I'm honest.

I've experienced culture shock quite a few times in my life. Moving to Mexico when I was 15, sailing around South America and the Caribbean fresh out of high school. Living in Europe as a young newlywed. Coming "home" and not feeling "at home" anymore.

It amazes me how often I *still* face culture shock. Here. In my own culture. Maybe that's how one knows one is growing old (insert frazzled smiley face). One thing for sure, this world is not my home and I am recognizing that more and more with each passing year.

I spent three hours in the dentist office on Wednesday morning. It was a rather enlightening experience. It made me wonder how people can worry that home-schooling is breeding a generation of un-socialized misfits. As I watched the people come and go, sit and interact (or not in this case), that quote in my sidebar rang truer than true and took on a whole new meaning.

"Children have a much better chance of learning socialization skills from adults who have them than from peers who don't.". And may I just add that there are a lot of adults who don't "have 'em" either. What on earth has happened to our society? Have we so removed ourselves from meaningful interaction as to become relational zombies???

Case in point, there was a family of 4 sitting across from me. Divorcee with 3 stairtep children ranging from around 17 down to 12. They each had a cell phone with text messaging capability and most of the appointment they spent staring straight ahead into their respective cell phones with glazed eyes and numb thumbs. When they did speak to each other they did not make eye contact, their voices were monotone and their words were minimal. The mother had to fill out insurance forms as this was their first visit, and when asked what her ex husband's birthday was (as he was the primary insurance holder) she had no idea. She also had no idea whether her youngest daughter ever flossed and rolled her eyes and huffed when the girl said no. Like it was something she should have just taught herself and yeesh, what's a poor mother to do?

Besides that there were other people who came together but sat apart (figuratively speaking) listening to their respective ipods, reading their books or thumbing through magazines... I'm sure you have no problem picturing the scene, this is the society we live in.

Call me old fashioned, I won't mind. Actually, I'd be flattered. We have one cell phone in this family and it isn't even ours (work). We have one mp3 player that is used only when one (namely me) goes walking or jogging (hah... rarely these days) or to listen to downloaded sermons in the vehicle when one (namely dh) is driving alone. We have a playstation somewhere in this house but I can't remember the last time it was ever played (3 years ago maybe?) and when it is played, it is Daddy playing with kids for recreation, not kids playing to kill time. When we read, we read primarily together (me reading, everyone else listening) although we do all like to read on our own time too, we spend more time reading together than apart. When we watch something on tv it has to be something we can all benefit from, that means we don't watch much tv. My point?

The thought that homeschooling is raising a generation of inept social citizens has become a point of hilarity to me. Society is pretty much oozing with inept social citizens who go through life text messaging people they don't speak directly to in person. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating. I mean, people still speak, thankfully. But true "social skills" are sadly lacking. Eye contact, meaningful communication and response? Exercising manners and interest in fellow man? Manners have become almost passe... I mean, look at the people children are looking up to... they are retarded! (sorry but this is frankful friday).

Don't get me wrong, I don't blame this generation of children. I blame the parents. The self absorbed, "me time", "go and play with your playstation/cell phone/ipod" counter-social (unless it means shopping and lunch with a girlfriend) parents. The designer buying, cable tv subscribing, latest gadget providing parents. I'm afraid for this generation, and saddened. I hope that a hunger for meaningful relationship will be birthed out of this cold age of technology where people's love affairs seem to be with phones, tv's, ipods and computers more than with the precious living souls that flank them. Where they know more about people on mtv than they do about people who sleep under the same roof.

And I don't mean to sound high and mighty either. Because when I get on here my eyes can glaze over and I can forget to turn and make eye contact with my kids when they come to ask me something. I am not impervious to this. Just conscious. And concerned.