I want it and I want it NOW!!!

One of the funniest observations I've made lately (and when I say "funny", I am totally putting the finger quote signs up) is that kids these days think that EVERYTHING is instantaneous! It needs to happen and it needs to happen ASAP. And everything is just so darn convenient. For instance, my children have never experienced TV without a DVR. If they see something they like, they can skip back and watch it over again. Heck, they can skip back all the way and record it for future viewing. They know how to work a CD player, Ipod, and DVD player better than I do. They hardly EVER have to wait on a favorite show because we either have one recorded or they can go to Netflix On Demand and stream the show. When I really think about it, this just boggles my mind. I remember my favorite shows coming on once a week and you had to park your butt in the chair and watch the whole thing or tough luck to you. What, you need to pee--wait for commercial b/c there is NO pause button. Get home too late? Sorry, you missed the show unless Mom or Dad could figure out how to record on the VCR (and when I was really young, they didn't even have VCR's). Crap, I have totally let on to how old I am--ha ha!

We were driving somewhere the other day and I actually had the radio on. The boys heard a song that they liked and they asked me to play it over again. I tried explaining to them that the radio is LIVE and that I can't rewind or skip back or replay. "Whaaaaaat???" I just get these blank stares like I'm from another planet. They try explaining it to me in a different (slower) way like I'm some kind of an imbecile. "Mom, you know like when you are playing the ipod and you hit the back arrow and it plays the song again. See if you can try that". "Oh, ok, b/c I'm such a moron and you boys know so much more than me. Humph!"

But really, almost everything IS right at their fingertips to be had with a push of the button or stroke of the key. Luke's big thing now is making a request and immediately asking me to go check for it on the internet. He decided he wanted to look like he was in a rock band so he needed dark jeans, a gray t-shirt and a black leather jacket. "Can you get on the internet and order those up for me?" He honestly believes that you can order ANYTHING you want and have it right away via the internet. The funniest thing was when we ran out of large soft pretzels. It was on a Sunday evening and I told him that I wasn't going to the store right then. With all the seriousness that a 6 year old can muster, he said, "well just go order them on the computer".

I try so hard to explain that you can't just get whatever you want RIGHT then from the computer. His response is that all you have to do is to put a "www" in front of it and then type the word. So, "www.pretzels.com" and Wa-Laa! So then I explain that yes, you probably COULD order just about anything you want online BUT that people can't just GET everything they desire just because they WANT it. Cue the blank stare again!

I am trying really really hard to teach my kids about patience, waiting and that you don't always get what you want just because it's available. Sometimes I wish that we could go back to the "old days" when things were simpler and you couldn't just pull anything and everything up online. But then my second grader comes home with crazy homework and immediately I am thanking God that the internet is at my fingertips to look up the answer to this 2nd grade history question. What the heck did our Mom's DO before you could look up answers online? So, I guess you just have to take the good with the bad. Now excuse me while I go order some pretzels online--hmmm, wonder if they will dip them in chocolate? Well of course they will--it's the magical internet!!!