I don’t use Facebook. I am the only eligible member of my family not connected through this common SNS. Am I stubborn? Maybe. I just don’t want to put my time in that space right now. With a family of three, if I have a spare moment, I like to read a book of choice… right now it is Anne Lammott’s Bird by Bird: Some Lessons on Writing and Life. Or, I enjoy the blogs of the student teachers with whom I work. Or, I play in my flower beds or play games with my three children. I like to sit on the couch and visit with my husband.When I see a computer I see work rather than social. Family time? I prefer to have it in person. This weekend drove that home for me as I watched my big brother entertain us at our cabin in the mountains of PA. His survivor game entertained cousins, aunts, grandparents, friends, foster children, and a boyfriend. 
The ages spanned from ages 7 – 78…now that’s differentiation! The survivor game was fun. He paired up 8 of the crew, tape and zip lines tied to ropes that led around and over and between trees. Once the course was mastered, a sling shot was passed to get the prize out of the tree. The main point here: I see the value in person-to-person contact, and I believe in differentiation that can challenge and entertain all ages. 
While online interactions are great, I don’t think they will ever come close to in-person, live interactions. We gain energy from each other. In some ways I can relate to what Marissa Mayer has to say about working side-to-side. 
Then again, maybe I’m just slow to catch the wave. As with anything, maybe the key is striking the balance. I just don’t want to lose any of this live interaction, and I feel like the more I’m behind the screen, the more I will lose. The weekend without wifi was a treat. I saw people come alive, put the iPods and intelligent phones away, BE together. And on the way home, when we hit a McDonalds with wifi…they were “alone together” again.
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