It's hard keeping up with the speed of IT - just when we figure out Facebook, we've got to contend with twitter. And even as I write this, twitter has already made way for something else but I wouldn't know cos I'm a tortoise in the age of the nuclear-powered hare.
We don't even give email a second thought now. How did we ever communicate before? Phone? Memos?? Yes, when I first started work, we typed out memos! And cc actually meant giving someone a physical copy!
It was only when I helped Andre open his first email account that I remembered how momentous email was, like getting a key to your very own personal letter box. He was very excited about it and kept wanting to compose and check his email. At first, he didn't quite understand that he's unlikely to get any new mail if he doesn't tell people what his email address is... which he kept confusing with his password. Told him he had to keep his password a secret from everyone (except me, the sole guardian) and he would whisper conspiratorially to me, "Mummy, I typed xxx but cannot."
"Aiyah, that's your user id lah, silly."
Didn't help that his user id was so long he kept typing it wrongly, thanks to his keyboard-challenged typing and spelling skills.
This was the first email I received from him:
Dear mummy
Did you play alot of computer games today ?
Love andre
This was my reply:
Dearest Andre
Yes I did! I broke a high score too. But I think I need to get back to work now… just like you!
Love
Mummy
Since email is now such an integral part of my life, I kept missing out on teaching him basic functions which I assumed he knew. Cautioned him at length about internet-safety practices but forgot to teach him how to reply to email.
So instead of clicking reply, he clicked "Compose message" and typed "reply" in the subject. Which was:
Dear mummy
Good luck on your work.
Love andre
My reply:
Dearest Andre
Thank you. Now can you please go and do your work instead of writing emails? :)
Love, Mummy
I think I'll wait a bit before opening a Facebook account for him...
Monday, July 13, 2009
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7 comments:
Aiyah, accidentally sent that first comment. What he emailed you is so cute, definitely something Brian would do too. For Brian, his FB account is mainly for playing games. For me, his FB account is my trump card for getting him to do things :) He'd do just about anything to get just 10 min of FB time (for games).
LOL, Andre LOVES computer games too. How to escape, our kids both have cyber addicts for mummies! This love for computer games is a terrific negotiation weapon huh?
Same here, my 6yo will automatic go and do 3-4 pages of work 1st then come & show me in exchange for 15mins of computer time. LOL...
Chris
Chris: That's a wonderful deal! I'd say, take it, hehe...
Don't worry, you will have to wait, seeing as facebook is only for 13 and above. Funny how most people neglect that fact :)
Veronica: ah, but many kids cleverly by-pass that rule by over declaring their year of birth. Lots of L-A's classmates have FB and err... Brian too!
LOL! You outed us. I was the one who set up Brian's account. It's useful for him to keep in touch with his friends as he moves from country to country. And I have access to both his email and his FB, so nothing escapes me...for now!
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