iPad: Bridging Generations

I have had no desire to get an iPad. None. Even when Pioneer Woman does a giveaway... if the prize is an iPad, I'm just really not all that interested. I enter with the intent of selling it or something. I've never wanted an iTouch or iPhone or iWhatever. But I learned a little something about technology this weekend. My Aunt Kathy had come from San Francisco to Cincinnati for this get together. My Aunt Martha and Uncle Jesse came from the Lexington, KY area. Last week was my Grandpa's birthday, my parent's 26th wedding anniversary, my brother's 18th birthday, and my birthday is coming up very soon. So late August is a great time to get together and celebrate! Aunt Kathy, towards the end of our visit, brought out her iPad. She apparently bought it somewhat recently, partially in preparation for this trip. It's smaller than I had anticipated. She had a nice little holder for it, too. First, she wooed Teagan and my Grandma with a funny cat app that I also have on my Droid. You can feed him, pet him to make him purr, or do mean stuff to him. The app also records noise around it and repeats it back in a funny voice for the cat. Much hilarity ensued. Next, Aunt Kathy let Teagan play with the Toy Story app. It had finger painting pages where Teagan could pick a color and then run her finger on the screen to apply that color to the Toy Story image. Very cool. But best of all was this Cat in the Hat app. Teagan could turn the pages with a swipe across the screen. She could read the words to her Great-Grandma and Great-Aunt Kathy. Or she could tap the words and the narrator would read the page for her. Best of all, my daughter, thanks to my Aunt Kathy and this new-fangled iPad, spent some quality time in an exciting and intriguing way with my Grandma. The brightness of the screen made the image easier for my Grandma to see the pages than if they'd been reading a paper copy. I almost hate saying that. I've been pretty anti-Kindle and iPad for the simple fact that I love holding a book in my hand. But knowing that there are true advantages- and having to admit that the advantages could go far beyond my limited experience and expectations- makes it a more appealing product.

And what was Zach doing during all of this fun? Was Zach enjoying some coloring or book reading on this techie device?

Nope. He'd had a busy day! He was tuckered! One of the teachers at school loves the way Zach falls alseep on his cot. He sucks his thumb but lays on his back so his thumb starts to slooooowly slide out of his mouth. He fish hooks himself a few times before totally falling into a deep sleep. Then he lays all sprawled out and adorable.

He did take some advantage of technology for his naptime. You will notice he's snoozing on a rolling, adjustable chair designed for video gaming. We attempted a bed on the couch but my brother Daniel was taking it over (heehee). My mom made a great nest in a recliner for him but he kept sliding off of it. He eventually came to this funny little thing and decided it was enough like a school nap cot that he could make do...

Technology can bridge the gap between generations. Who knew?