When I had risen, all that I heard was silence. Unease swept over me. They had to be awake by now. I paused at their empty bedrooms and crept downstairs. I found them lying together on the couch. Each head was propped at an end on pillows, their bodies stretched towards each other; toes touching. Draped across them both was my favorite afghan, handmade by my grandmother at least 40 years ago.
Neither heard me enter the room, for they were both fully occupied. Hands at the ready and eyes focused, she cradled her DS and he clutched his Leappad. I wished for an instant to have been a fly on the wall as they situated themselves; imagining them in a moment of seemingly perfect sharing.
After breakfast we returned to the couch and this time I joined them. We snuggled together under the blanket, bathing in the cozy warmth of the wood stove nearby. She cradled her DS, he clutched his Leappad, and I glided my finger across the screen to turn the pages of my Nook. We settled in quietly. Only the occasional “WOO HOO!” or “OH YEAH!!!” or “AW, COMMON!!!” could be heard from my Littles as they clicked and tapped through their games.
I smiled as I continued on with my book. I have been rereading Little Women, which may seem like an odd choice, but it is one of my favorite classics. When I purchased my Nook the good people at Barnes & Noble offered the choice of 12 classics to get me started. As such I have been losing myself in the language of the 19th century; words that do not come up in everyday conversation now, such as spandy and skylarking.
I thought of the March sisters, and of the simplicity of their lives. Hands or minds rarely idle, they spent their evenings sewing, writing, reading, philosophizing, playing music, and acting out stories for their own amusement. What would they say about our Saturday morning tech snuggles? We were together, but we were not engaged with each other. Would we appear disconnected?
I pondered this for a while and decided that Jo would embrace the new technology, and want desperately to have a turn. Meg would shun it as improper and insist that our time would be more wisely spent in the service of deeds that would benefit our family. Beth would be too afraid to try, preferring her tattered dolls instead. I struggled with Amy; she would want to do right by Meg and follow her example, and yet the temptation to have such lovely toys may have been too much for her to resist.
I thought of my childhood and the hours I spent in front of our Atari playing Pong and Qbert. Never could I have imagined the toys my children now find commonplace. I chuckled as I glanced over at the small stack of DS games I have for myself. The technology may have changed, but I haven’t. Lucky for me she doesn’t mind that mommy plays sometimes while she is sleeping.
I sit and marvel our new technology and wonder what will be next? Looking far into the future, should I be blessed with grandchildren, what will be their game of choice? I can’t wait to see. I hope I will still want to sneak a turn.
