Have you ever paid much attention to the effects that electronics have on young people? I’ve seen how differently kids act when they spend hours in front of a computer or TV, versus the way the act when they are busy doing something productive and worth-while. Having babysat many children throughout my teen years, I can look back now and say that I vividly remember how wonderful the kids behaved when we were coloring or creating things from PlayDough. I also remember how they could sob their poor eyes out when I turned off the television, sometimes even lashing out in anger as they slapped me or their siblings. Back then, I didn’t really understand it very well, but keep reading.

I took it upon myself tonight to research why technology affects young people the way it does. In the extreme aspect of what a dulled brain can develop into, take a look at the two shooters of the Columbine tragedy back in 1999. Shooters Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17), were heavily involved in video and computer games, most notably the internet deathmatch game called Doom.

An article on Wikipedia states:

Both Harris and Klebold were fans of video games such as Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. Harris often created levels for Doom that were widely distributed, and can still be found on the Internet as the Harris levels. Rumors that the layout of these levels resembled that of Columbine High School circulated but appear untrue. Harris spent a great deal of time creating another large mod, named “Tier,” calling it his “life’s work.” The mod was uploaded to the Columbine school computer and to AOL shortly before the attack but appears to have been lost.

A few sentences later it adds:

Some analysts argued that part of the killers’ problem may have been desensitization due to their constant exposure to violent imagery in such video games, as well as music and movies, theorizing that their obsession with these forms of media may have led them to depersonalization. American media compared the massacre to a fantasy sequence from the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries in which protagonist Leonardo DiCaprio wears a black trench coat and shoots six classmates in his school’s hallways. Several unsuccessful lawsuits against video game manufacturers were filed as a result by parents of some of the victims. Harris and Klebold were fans of the movie Natural Born Killers and used the film’s acronym NBK as a code in their home videos and journals.

As I continued my research, I found an article on USCF Today that compared video games to a substance abuse. Another website, a blog dedicated to coaching parents shares this discovery in a post from December 17th:

Japanese researchers found that playing computer games stunted the development of the frontal lobe of the brain in teenagers, which is a crucial part of developing impulse control. The tendency to lose control is not due to children absorbing the aggression involved in the computer game itself, as previous researchers have suggested, but rather to the damage done by stunting the developing mind.

As a final thought, let me share with you something that Andrew Pudewa revealed at the 2008 LEAH Convention in Rochester, NY. He and his wife have not raised their children with television or video games. (If I recall correctly, I think he also said they don’t even own a TV.) This was for the sole purpose of expanding the kids minds and helping them to learn to the best of their abilities. Instead of parking on the couch with their favorite movie in the evenings, they read or write, or do something else productive. When I first heard this, I remember thinking, Wow! A life with no TV. That seems a little extreme. But I’ve really began to see over the past year how even watching excessive television (whether violent or not) dulls the brain. Creativity sinks deeper and deeper into a hole as no attempt is made to use the brain, until finally, the creativity disappears. It is then replaced by laziness and lack of motivation, and can in turn result in violent behavior depending on the direct influence. It might sound crazy, but it’s a proven fact of life. Try spending one week without the daily ritual of TV, computer, or video games, and see what happens.

Mandee

When I was really young, back before my homeschoolie days, I loved to hum and sing when all was quiet and I was alone. I recall singing on the playground swingset many times during lunch break in elementary school. I loved my voice so much that I once even claimed to have the beautiful singing voice of some Disney character in one of those sappy princess movies. Memories of those days make me smile and shake my head in amusement. 

As I got older, my taste in music went from Disney soundtracks to something a little more upbeat and trendy. I began to make new friends as I hit the teen years, and with the new friends came a new craze for wild music. It wasn’t anything too bizarre or out of line, but it was definitely different. The sudden change of CDs in my player was enough to make my mom wonder what on earth had possessed me. I tried like heck to pin up my favorite boy-band posters on my bedroom wall, only to have them pulled down by the wicked witch (I say that with affection) at every attempt. I get a big laugh out of it now, but believe me, I hated it then. I was 15 and definitely old enough to have band pictures on my walls. So what if they happened to be cute guys? I didn’t see the problem, but by gosh, my mom surely did. 

Those years passed after numerous struggles finally resulting in a burned CD. No, I don’t mean burned as in, on the computer. I mean, burned IN THE WOODSTOVE kind of burned. Yep, folks, she did it. Threw my root of rebellion right in the fire pit. I didn’t find out until nearly six months later what had happened to my beloved CD; I thought she’d merely confiscated it and planned to give it back when I was a bit older. You can imagine the look on my face when I found out it was gone for good. Ha, yeah. I wasn’t a happy camper.

Now that I’m grown, I of course choose my own selection of music without worrying about where it might end up. I have a small mix of country, indie, and Christian, but nothing too radical. Strangely enough, the CDs I listened to during my teen years were also “Christian.” But understand, it wasn’t really who sang the music, but rather how the music made me feel. The heavy rock and seemingly mainstream lyrics were really too deep for a girl my age to comprehend and interpret into a Godly perspective. I find it interesting how teenagers blow things way out of proportion. EVERYTHING is just a huge deal. Friends, TV, music. When they don’t listen to the wise counsel give, sometimes they just have to live and learn. I thought I was going to be the next teenage rockstar in those years, a shining pop singer like Hannah Montana or Hillary Duff. Well, what do you know, I turned out to be a writer instead. Funny how things work out, eh? I may never be a “rockstar,” but I do have to get a chuckle out of my new haircut (see pic at the beginning of this post). Rockstar, anyone?

If you know me at all, you know that I’m a pretty straight-laced kinda gal. I like excitement, but I always abide by the rules. Well, I found out yesterday while shopping that I do have a slightly naughty side. 

I was at Kohl’s, looking to use up over $30 in gift cards that I’d gotten for Christmas. After 15 minutes of browsing, I had looked and looked for something nice to catch my eye, but every top I tried on just wasn’t working for me. Sure, they were cute enough, but nothing that I felt would make a statement. 

As I began walking down the aisle in front of the jewelry counter, I happened to look up and spot the cutest  sweater. It was brick red, long, with buttons along the collar. I instantly made my way over to the wall, expecting more sweaters in the same style to be down at eye level. Well, no such luck; they were all hanging high. I looked around for a way to get one down since they were so obviously out of my reach. 

My eyes stopped on a long reaching hook nearby. Perfect! I breezed over and was about to grab it when I saw the sign:

For Employee Use Only: Please ask for assistance in reaching high merchandise

Darn it all!! Well, I wasn’t about to give up yet, so I took it upon myself to try to locate an employee. After five minutes of searching the department, I decided to come back in a few minutes after trying some other clothes on instead. I found a belt I liked along with some leggings, but I didn’t really like the tops I’d found. They just weren’t worth the money for me, I wandered back to the red sweater (which also happened to be on sale).

Once again, my eyes scanned the perimeter, not finding any employees in the immediate vicinity. The girls at the nearby cash registers were busy with backed up lines to be of any help. I apparently wasn’t going to get assistance any time soon. 

With a quick movement, I dashed over to the long hook, grabbed it in both hands, and lifted it high to get the sweater. What harm could be done? I worked in retail and was quite familiar with the procedure. 

I got the first sweater down and was ready to ditch the hook and run. But what do you know, it was an extra large and NOT my size. That meant I had to try again. (GRRRRR!!) I hung the XL on a rack near my waist; maybe I’d save someone else all the trouble I was currently going through by leaving it down where it could be reached. I lifted my arms with the hook again, this time luckily grabbing a medium. 

Woo hoo!! The devilish deed was done!! I put the hook back, avoiding eye contact with anyone around me. I felt the gaze of a nearby shopper following my movement and I held in a giggle. Oops. If anyone asked, I just didn’t see the sign. I could always pretend to be on my cell phone if anyone dared to confront me… 

So the moral of the story is this: If Plan A doesn’t work, there’s always a Plan B! (even if you have to break a little rule…)

And yes, I did buy the sweater.

I hope you all had a FABULOUS Christmas Day and enjoyed the time with friends and family!!

Lots of love,

Mandee

There’s something that has all the adults talking, and by golly it’s not Facebook or even WordPress. Nope. It’s something new, something that I personally am completely unfamiliar with but believe me, I intend to find out more. They call it…..*drum roll*…..TWITTER.

www.twitter.com/mandeewidrick

I have to admit though, I’m slightly suspicious of the whole ordeal. So far it seems to be the place where the “old” folk hang out (chuckle). Maybe its because all you have to do is give a 120-word update whenever you please, and that’s pretty much the entire jist of the whole thing. If you ask me, I think it’s just an easy excuse out of a “complicated”  Facebook account or REAL blog. But I guess we young people have to have a little grace on the older, more technologically-challenged ones, right?

(I should probably note that my mother is going to kick my butt when she reads this, however, I will openly confess that she is somewhat exempt from the above statement as she has BOTH a Facebook and WP blog, even though she rarely uses them. How’s that, Mom?)

All of that said, please feel free to join me in Twitter-land and make me feel a little less overwhelmed by the Ancients! Hahaha.

Goodnight all,

Mandee

I fell asleep on the couch last night at 8:30pm. It’s typical for me to take a nap in the evening, as I am quite the nocturnal type and usually stay up until 3-4am most mornings. This time, however, it was more than just the usual 15 minute nap. I didn’t awake until 12:30am, a whopping four hours later, only to find my entire family had gone to bed and left me asleep. It was nice, though strange for me.

I did, however, recall waking up briefly at 9:30 or so and checking my cell phone for the time. Oddly enough, a fluttering thought, a question, raced through my brain.

Why are people so often defined by those they spend time with?

I then went back to sleep, unaware of where this question had so randomly sprouted from. When I woke up  later on, I thought about it again. Why are we so defined by others? If we spend a lot of time with a particular person, we become “so and so’s” friend. There is almost an identity loss in this (not always the case, but too often with young people it is). I’ll use myself as an example. A simple observation doesn’t unfold as, “Oh hey, there’s Mandee,” but instead, “Oh there’s [that other girl's] friend.”

This is understandable if it is an outside observation by someone who has never met me, but what about someone who I’ve been acquainted with for any length of time? Or, look at another example, “Oh that’s the girl that likes that guy.”

I thought and mulled over this for a long time. WHY do we become labeled as one who is connected to another? Then I think I found the answer. 

When there is a lack of balance in any type of relationship, whether a friendship, a dating relationship, or even something as silly as an obsessive crush, you find it to be on your mind 24/7. I have seen some beautiful friendships because two people knew that their identities were found in Christ and not in each other. When anything becomes obsessive, it reveals itself to outsiders. I don’t want to be “that girl that hangs with that crowd.” I want to be, “Mandee, the young woman who loves God and isn’t afraid to make a difference or take a chance.”

Do you get me, do you understand what I’m saying? We should not defined by those around us, but rather by Who is in us.” I should be the one that loves God and people, not the one that just hangs with the popular ones (or is the popular one). 

Let Christ be your definition.

Mandee