What happened to reading books and playing outside?

I took the kids to the library today, and they went a little crazy. Instead of reading books and sitting at the tables doing puzzles, all they wanted to do was play on the computers, which weren't on, and so they played with the keyboards.. I kept trying to get books and have them sit and read with me, but all they wanted to do was run around and be loud.

When I was little, I remember going to the library and loving the books! I would get my siblings together and we would sit down and read. Then we would have the occasional puppet show and it was always really fun. We would run around in the back yard playing cops and robbers, dress up in my dad's army uniform and it was a lot of fun. I even remember playing poker (haha) on the back porch with my big brother. Other things we would do, is go around and have a taste test game, putting things on each others tongues and they other person had to guess what they were tasting. I put a beef bullion cube on my big brothers tongue, and we didn't play that game after that. Haha. But we played house, hide and go seek, even had tea parties in the bushes. We played with squirt guns and went camping.

What happened to that? Computers happened. By the time I was out of elementary school, everyone had a cell phone in their pocket and everyone wanted to play computer games. Books? They are becoming outdated and I think it is sad. Now people (even CHILDREN) have iPads and game consoles and cell phones, and they have less books and swing sets and imagination. Kids don't go outside anymore, because they are too busy playing video games or watching tv. Thats why child obesity is going up in this country. Thank you DVD players and cell phone companies.



So PLEASE take your children to the park, and the library. Please play with them, like your parents did with you! Don't let them drain their brain power in front of a television. Have them explore outside, take them camping, play card games. Take a week and say no electronics. You must, or the fate of our country will be devastatingly more terrible than it already is. Bring back imagination! Turn off the TV and go for a run or walk and get some jump ropes and play hop scotch! Get some sidewalk chalk, before it is too late! THIS IS SERIOUS PEOPLE! :D

Anyway that is my rant for the week. Thank you for reading!