My Little Spammer
The middle gremlin has his very own laptop. It's an old Mac iBook from around the year 2000 which was sitting on a shelf at Geekster's work for years, untouched. Finally he asked if he could bring it home, at least temporarily, to let his son
destroy use. Since it was destined for the scrap heap he got quick clearance.
Gutsy loves his laptop. He listens to music on it. He looks at websites on it with a very old version of Firefox. He plays one game on it called Midnight Mansion, which is very cute and about the only Mac game we could find that will run on the old beast. He's been very happy with the limited capabilities of his machine because it's his. And, from what I've learned so far by raising three kids, when you're in the middle you hold on tight to what's yours and never let go. It's just nice to have something that belongs to you and only you.
Having this computer has helped Gutsy learn to read. It has helped him think logically while he sorts and maintains the files on his operating system. It has helped him acquire coping skills the few times his little brother pulled off keys and his dad patiently put them back on with tweezers. It has taught him to appreciate and take care of his belongings. Or, rather, his belonging - no s. He's not so careful with the other stuff.
Gutsy begged his dad for an email address. Generally, what Gutsy wants Gutsy shall receive, as long as he's persistent enough to wear us down over the course of several hours to days. This time was no different. We were concerned with the level of havoc he could bring to others' inboxes if he were given permission to do so. However, the pros of him learning to read and write and communicate online seemed to far outweigh any paranoid parental concerns.
The first email I received was this:
Now, that was touching. What a sweet email to get in the middle of a hectic day. I wrote back something about loving him, too, and smiled for the next hour. Such a sweetheart.
The next day, which was Friday, I sent him the following email as a surprise.
His response?
I chose not to reply to this one and instead vowed to have a little talk with him about appropriate vs. inappropriate sendings. Then we got busy with yesterday's trip to the in-laws and I had completely forgotten.
This morning, after prying my eyes open, grabbing a bowl of cereal and making coffee, I sat at my computer and perused my email. It didn't take me long to see Gutsy had tried to make himself a priority in my inbox:
Gutsy loves his laptop. He listens to music on it. He looks at websites on it with a very old version of Firefox. He plays one game on it called Midnight Mansion, which is very cute and about the only Mac game we could find that will run on the old beast. He's been very happy with the limited capabilities of his machine because it's his. And, from what I've learned so far by raising three kids, when you're in the middle you hold on tight to what's yours and never let go. It's just nice to have something that belongs to you and only you.
Having this computer has helped Gutsy learn to read. It has helped him think logically while he sorts and maintains the files on his operating system. It has helped him acquire coping skills the few times his little brother pulled off keys and his dad patiently put them back on with tweezers. It has taught him to appreciate and take care of his belongings. Or, rather, his belonging - no s. He's not so careful with the other stuff.
Gutsy begged his dad for an email address. Generally, what Gutsy wants Gutsy shall receive, as long as he's persistent enough to wear us down over the course of several hours to days. This time was no different. We were concerned with the level of havoc he could bring to others' inboxes if he were given permission to do so. However, the pros of him learning to read and write and communicate online seemed to far outweigh any paranoid parental concerns.
The first email I received was this:
To: The Maven @ my real person address.com
From: Gutsy
Subject: Hi
hi mom i lov you
Gutsy
Now, that was touching. What a sweet email to get in the middle of a hectic day. I wrote back something about loving him, too, and smiled for the next hour. Such a sweetheart.
The next day, which was Friday, I sent him the following email as a surprise.
To: Gutsy
From: The Maven
Subject: Hello!
Hi Gutsy,
Hope you are having a good day! Love you!
Mom.
His response?
To: The Maven
From: Gutsy
Subject: Re: Hello!
mom i haf to go pee
I chose not to reply to this one and instead vowed to have a little talk with him about appropriate vs. inappropriate sendings. Then we got busy with yesterday's trip to the in-laws and I had completely forgotten.
This morning, after prying my eyes open, grabbing a bowl of cereal and making coffee, I sat at my computer and perused my email. It didn't take me long to see Gutsy had tried to make himself a priority in my inbox:
To: The Maven
From: Gutsy
Subject:
i haf to goPEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE EEEEE