A Grand Promise: Part 3

After working in children’s ministry for more than 38 years and directing a children’s nonprofit for 11 years, you’d think I’d be aware of contemporary children’s culture and what meets their needs. But during my trip out west with my grandchildren, I threw everything I thought about today’s kids out of my RV window.

Knowing we would pass through some amazing national parks, I envisioned the kids’ awe of God’s beautiful creation. But I didn’t expect how hard it would be to even get them look.

In an earlier post I wrote about my oldest grandson who spent most of his time at the dining room table. What I didn’t say was that he was connected to his iPod every day, all day long. In fact, each child had some electronic device they were attached to from morning to night. Whenever I wanted their attention for a roadside attraction I had to shout, “Hey you guys! Look at this!”

By the fourth day I was hoarse.

Never have I been so impacted by how an electronic device can capture a child’s attention. It didn’t matter if they are watching movies, playing video games, or like my oldest grandson, watching a TV series from long ago that had more than 80 hours of episodes! The amount of time they spent looking down (at their devise) instead of looking out the window astounded me.

We spent a lot of time on the road each day driving from one destination to the next. Some of the scenery was less than interesting. During these drives I tried to remember what I used to do on long road trips as a child. I remember that I couldn’t read books because I got car sick. I usually didn’t bring toys because there just wasn’t room with two sisters and my parents. I remember looking out the window a lot; this helped me learn my way around town, which came in handy when it was time to get my driver’s license. But this was different.

Capturing a child’s attention is not as simple as it was even just a few years ago. Their little hand-held devices draw them in like a magnet and it holds them there—captive. How do parents and teachers compete with this? How was I supposed to compete and draw them away?

Well, I didn’t have to wait long to find the answer to that question?

On the fourth day we headed into Estes National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Seeing mountains for the first time became an ethereal experience for my grandkids. The magnificent scenery lured their eyes up to the heavens instead of down into their devices. We stopped at every turn in the road to take more pictures. They even complained that their phones didn’t have enough memory to hold all their photos! No, I didn’t have to worry about where their attention was, that day it was captured by God’s amazing creation. It was refreshing to hear their comments about this first-in-their-life experience. I took pictures of their expressions so I wouldn’t forget.

Eventually, the exquisite vistas lost their appeal and they would be drawn back to their electronic devices. Every day I would have to say, “It’s time to put away your electronics for an hour and look out the windows.” They all complied willingly. I was so thankful for God’s artistic hand and all the beauty he created for us to enjoy. Thank you to the master attention-getter!