Remember when you were a kid?  What were some of the toys that kept you busy for hours?  Do you remember?  I do.  Boy how the world has changed.

They still sell this

They still sell these, too.

So many people are connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and so and so on and so on.  Yeah, you get it.

I had lunch with a friend recently who posed the question “How do you turn this around?”  He was, of course, referring to the culture of today where youth have lost touch with the simple fun of imagination and “traditional” play.  My answer, in short – I’m not sure you can.  Times have certainly changed from when I was a kid.  I left the house in the morning, stayed out all day and came back in time for dinner.  No mobile devices, cell phones, video games – sounds a little like Gilligan’s Island, not a single luxury.

Technology is going to keep advancing and today’s society is going to do its best to keep up.  This is just how it is right now.  So for all those people who have shunned technology, it might just be time to embrace it and see if you can use it to harness that youthful imagination that’s chomping at the bit.  Oh, it’s in there.  For those who are interested, I lead a team in a youth initiative when I worked in Loudoun County.  I encourage you to look it up and learn about it – First Lego League.

Of course, you could always just install a bouncy castle in your house and just have at it – That’s how we roll at First Presbyterian Church.

What do you do when the children’s choir picnic gets rained out? You don’t cancel! You move it indoors.