I <3 the web.
Posted 6 months ago at 00:35. 1 comment
I had one of those classic web-enabled parenting moments tonight that have become so common for me these days that I sometimes fail to appreciate how much of a change it represents from how I grew up.
Will has a little hopscotch court taped out on the floor of his room. The hopscotch numbers only go up to eight, and while we were hopping around tonight, I was reminded of the classic Sesame Street “I one the sandbox” bit that I couldn’t help but share with my son.
Kids make great straight men, so after quickly explaining the rules of the game, in no time at all I had Will “two-ing” the sandbox, and so on. My son’s laugh is one of my most favorite things in the world. Hearing him explode with laughter when he realized that he had just claimed to have eaten the sandbox made my whole week.
After we ran through the sandbox game a few more times (making sure that Daddy “eight” a few sandboxes for parity) I took him to the computer to show him the source material. As is always the way with Sesame Street clips on YouTube, one clip invariably led to another, as we wistfully plumbed the depths of my childhood, sharing deep thoughts on the proper way to check if people are actually asleep and pondering metaphysical questions such as how Ernie is able to pull a hamburger out of a TV.
I often take this always-on, instant access for granted. There are plenty of mundane aspects to the web. I now *expect* my bank, government, toy store, etc… to offer their services to me online as a matter of convenience, and I will often not patronize them if they don’t. Well, except for the government. If only it was that easy!
I am also amazed by the enormous creativity I encounter via the web every day. Websites like thesixtyone have found a way to mash up music with brownie points that has me interested in a variety of music that I haven’t cared about since high school. I find new podcasts and comics every week that make me ask: “If something like this has been out there for *this* long and I’m only finding out about it now, how much more am I missing?”
Well, open web, here’s the deal: you keep creating stuff, I’ll keep doing my part. Much love.
Lots of good memories in this post, Chris. I can just see Will enjoying Ernie and Bert and the sandbox too – thanks for sharing!