I miss windows. Â No, I am not an Apple convert waxing poetic about my old computer operating system. Â I actually miss real windows… the glass kind. Â The kind we used to gaze through and let our minds wander in the days before portable electronics became so pervasive. I miss looking out the window, and I wish my kids would spend more time looking out of windows themselves.
Did You See What I Saw?
When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time staring out of windows, watching the world go by, and dreaming about what it all meant. Â Moving windows were the best. I actually looked forward to long car, bus or train rides and insisted on a window seat so I could stare out of it at the passing scenery. I’d look at homes and imagine what it would be like to live THERE. Â I’d see glimpses of people going about their business and try to expand upon the snapshot moment and imagine who they were and what they were like, and what would they be like after my car/bus/train finished peeking through their world.
Digital Blinds
Now, when I see passing cars, buses, trains, even planes, instead of looking out the windows kids and adults alike are looking at the phone, computer or game system in their hands and laps, or they are staring at the embedded screen in the digitally enhanced headrest on the seat in front of them. Â In many cases they are wearing headsets, tuned out to what is outside. Â Our portable devices have created digital blinds on our windows, blinding us to the wonders outside.
The Glass Is Greener On The Other Side…
I am as guilty of gadget gazing as anyone, and I have not done enough to discourage my kids from too often dipping into the digital dark-side. Â I need to remind them (and myself) that sometimes it is best to leave technology behind and just look out the window and let your mind wander.
What do you think? Â Do you and your kids still spend time looking out the window?
Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes!and Social Networking Rehab and you can listen to Jeff on the Cast of Dads podcast.
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I like looking out the window, and so does my 3 year old. I got it from my parents I think. For my daughter our rule is she doesn’t have a DVD player unless it’s a long trip, but I really think she’s a natural window looker.
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I like looking out the window, and so does my 3 year old. I got it from my parents I think. For my daughter our rule is she doesn't have a DVD player unless it's a long trip, but I really think she's a natural window looker.
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I like looking out the window, and so does my 3 year old. I got it from my parents I think. For my daughter our rule is she doesn't have a DVD player unless it's a long trip, but I really think she's a natural window looker.
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My kids are only 9 months old, but they LOVE windows. When they wake up from their nap, I set them on the bed and make a big production of opening the curtains (I sing the fanfare that accompanies the 20th Century Fox logo before the movie starts). Then we spend some time naming the stuff they can see from there–trees, birds, suspicious characters in the alley…
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My kids are only 9 months old, but they LOVE windows. When they wake up from their nap, I set them on the bed and make a big production of opening the curtains (I sing the fanfare that accompanies the 20th Century Fox logo before the movie starts). Then we spend some time naming the stuff they can see from there–trees, birds, suspicious characters in the alley…
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My kids are only 9 months old, but they LOVE windows. When they wake up from their nap, I set them on the bed and make a big production of opening the curtains (I sing the fanfare that accompanies the 20th Century Fox logo before the movie starts). Then we spend some time naming the stuff they can see from there–trees, birds, suspicious characters in the alley…
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I know exactly what you are talking about. I found the trick is to go on a LONG trip. Long enough to run down the batteries on all their gadgets. Looking out windows happens quite quickly then. 😉
Sometimes my wife and I will purposefully engage them in conversation, song, and games just to keep them interactive. That’s if I’m not listening to talk radio.
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I know exactly what you are talking about. I found the trick is to go on a LONG trip. Long enough to run down the batteries on all their gadgets. Looking out windows happens quite quickly then. 😉
Sometimes my wife and I will purposefully engage them in conversation, song, and games just to keep them interactive. That’s if I’m not listening to talk radio.
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I know exactly what you are talking about. I found the trick is to go on a LONG trip. Long enough to run down the batteries on all their gadgets. Looking out windows happens quite quickly then. 😉
Sometimes my wife and I will purposefully engage them in conversation, song, and games just to keep them interactive. That’s if I’m not listening to talk radio.
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When I was a kid I drove my parent’s crazy by not looking out the window on long car trips. I spent the whole time with my “nose in a book” My mom would call from the front seat, “look honey, there is the National Redwood Forest!!” I would peek out the window for a second, “nice trees mom” and back to my book I would go!
My daughter is more of a window watcher. Even when I let her bring a video game or book with us while we are in the car, she usually puts it down so she can watch out the window and not miss anything!
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When I was a kid I drove my parent's crazy by not looking out the window on long car trips. I spent the whole time with my “nose in a book” My mom would call from the front seat, “look honey, there is the National Redwood Forest!!” I would peek out the window for a second, “nice trees mom” and back to my book I would go!
My daughter is more of a window watcher. Even when I let her bring a video game or book with us while we are in the car, she usually puts it down so she can watch out the window and not miss anything!
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When I was a kid I drove my parent's crazy by not looking out the window on long car trips. I spent the whole time with my “nose in a book” My mom would call from the front seat, “look honey, there is the National Redwood Forest!!” I would peek out the window for a second, “nice trees mom” and back to my book I would go!
My daughter is more of a window watcher. Even when I let her bring a video game or book with us while we are in the car, she usually puts it down so she can watch out the window and not miss anything!
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Always find it a little sad to be driving down a beautiful stretch of road, glancing over at the SUV passing me by, and seeing a parent (or two) up front chatting away on their cell(s), a few young ‘uns in the back staring at a pair of monitors playing some movie they’ve likely already seen 500 times.
My & my wife’s parents have had to be told, more than once, that we will NOT be installing anything of the type in our vehicles. I believe they finally got the point when told that to buy us something like that would be literally wasting their money, as it would either be eBay’d or put into indefinite storage.
My five-year-old LOVES checking out what’s going on outside as we drive. Last summer we took a long and leisurely trip to Yellowstone. Three-days-one-way-from-Nebraska leisurely. 🙂 He checked out everything and continues to talk about it to this day. And we certainly appreciated the fact that we didn’t have to suffer through hours and hours worth of SpongeBob, Nemo, or whatever it is that kids atrophy to these days… 😉
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Always find it a little sad to be driving down a beautiful stretch of road, glancing over at the SUV passing me by, and seeing a parent (or two) up front chatting away on their cell(s), a few young 'uns in the back staring at a pair of monitors playing some movie they've likely already seen 500 times.
My & my wife's parents have had to be told, more than once, that we will NOT be installing anything of the type in our vehicles. I believe they finally got the point when told that to buy us something like that would be literally wasting their money, as it would either be eBay'd or put into indefinite storage.
My five-year-old LOVES checking out what's going on outside as we drive. Last summer we took a long and leisurely trip to Yellowstone. Three-days-one-way-from-Nebraska leisurely. 🙂 He checked out everything and continues to talk about it to this day. And we certainly appreciated the fact that we didn't have to suffer through hours and hours worth of SpongeBob, Nemo, or whatever it is that kids atrophy to these days… 😉
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Always find it a little sad to be driving down a beautiful stretch of road, glancing over at the SUV passing me by, and seeing a parent (or two) up front chatting away on their cell(s), a few young 'uns in the back staring at a pair of monitors playing some movie they've likely already seen 500 times.
My & my wife's parents have had to be told, more than once, that we will NOT be installing anything of the type in our vehicles. I believe they finally got the point when told that to buy us something like that would be literally wasting their money, as it would either be eBay'd or put into indefinite storage.
My five-year-old LOVES checking out what's going on outside as we drive. Last summer we took a long and leisurely trip to Yellowstone. Three-days-one-way-from-Nebraska leisurely. 🙂 He checked out everything and continues to talk about it to this day. And we certainly appreciated the fact that we didn't have to suffer through hours and hours worth of SpongeBob, Nemo, or whatever it is that kids atrophy to these days… 😉
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Always find it a little sad to be driving down a beautiful stretch of road, glancing over at the SUV passing me by, and seeing a parent (or two) up front chatting away on their cell(s), a few young 'uns in the back staring at a pair of monitors playing some movie they've likely already seen 500 times.
My & my wife's parents have had to be told, more than once, that we will NOT be installing anything of the type in our vehicles. I believe they finally got the point when told that to buy us something like that would be literally wasting their money, as it would either be eBay'd or put into indefinite storage.
My five-year-old LOVES checking out what's going on outside as we drive. Last summer we took a long and leisurely trip to Yellowstone. Three-days-one-way-from-Nebraska leisurely. 🙂 He checked out everything and continues to talk about it to this day. And we certainly appreciated the fact that we didn't have to suffer through hours and hours worth of SpongeBob, Nemo, or whatever it is that kids atrophy to these days… 😉
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Always find it a little sad to be driving down a beautiful stretch of road, glancing over at the SUV passing me by, and seeing a parent (or two) up front chatting away on their cell(s), a few young 'uns in the back staring at a pair of monitors playing some movie they've likely already seen 500 times.
My & my wife's parents have had to be told, more than once, that we will NOT be installing anything of the type in our vehicles. I believe they finally got the point when told that to buy us something like that would be literally wasting their money, as it would either be eBay'd or put into indefinite storage.
My five-year-old LOVES checking out what's going on outside as we drive. Last summer we took a long and leisurely trip to Yellowstone. Three-days-one-way-from-Nebraska leisurely. 🙂 He checked out everything and continues to talk about it to this day. And we certainly appreciated the fact that we didn't have to suffer through hours and hours worth of SpongeBob, Nemo, or whatever it is that kids atrophy to these days… 😉