Tuesday, July 29, 2008

E-mailing with Joshua

For at least a year, Joshua had been asking us if he could have an email account. I kept putting him off, telling him he didn't need it and coming up with any excuse I could to avoid the subject. Don't know why I was against it - except that I'm a little slow, remember?
Anyway, a friend of ours told us about an email account especially for kids called Zoobuh. We looked into it, liked it, tried it, and are happily using it now. There are all kinds of safety controls with Zoobuh - my favorite being that Brian gets a copy of every single email Joshua sends or receives.
So we got him all set up and, in spite of my reluctance in the beginning, I absolutely love that Joshua has email. For one, he loves to correspond with my grandma via email. (Yes, my 90-year-old grandmother is a savvy internet user.) She sends him jokes and cute attachments almost every day and he just loves it. He also has fun sending and receiving email with his grandma Hossink.
One day recently, I was remembering that I used to write letters to my grandpa when I was a little girl and I loved getting mail from him. I thought, Gee, wouldn't it be fun if my kids did that with their grandparents? And then I realized that correspondence is happening. A la 2008!

But the thing I love most about Joshua having email is the messages he and I send to each other. Like this one I wrote after we'd had a rough nighttime.

Hi Joshua,

I know you like to get email, so I am hoping you will be willing to read these words carefully.

I told you today it isn’t easy being a mom. I want to be wise and make right decisions in how I am raising you. Sometimes I will make mistakes. I know I won’t always get it right. But I want you to know I will always do my best.
Every decision I make for you, every time I discipline you for something, please know I am trying to do what is best for you. It is NOT my goal to ruin your life or to waste your time by talking to you about your behavior or attitude. I love you, Joshua, and I always want the very best for you.

Love,
Mom

And this was his reply.
YES I READ YOUR MESSAGE CAREFULLY AND I KNOW YOU DONT WANT TO RUIN MY LIFE AND YOU ARE DOING A GOOD JOB I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER LOVE ME AND YOU ROCK MORE THAN ME.
LOVE, JOSHUA
OK, he needs to work on punctuation, but I can see his heart even without periods and commas.
The thing is, in the heat of the moment it usually isn't a good time to say the things I really want to say. But when I send an email - since he loves to receive email - he is happy to read what's on my heart. It's a good thing. *grin*
Joshua frequently asks me to send him an email, so I have been typing out lots of memory verses or short testimonies of how God is showing Himself to me. Yes, I am seeing this "modern mode" of communication can be a really good thing. Some may say it's cold and impersonal. I disagree. (Joshua usually takes time to personalize his emails to me in pretty colors!) Besides, it works. We're in the computer age and that's how my son likes to "talk." So I'm going to meet him where he's at.

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18 comments:

Jackie said...

Karen - what an ingenious idea! A great way to communicate the things that you really want to get through to him on.

And oh, that email you received back from him is just precious...punctuation and all. You couldn't have asked for anything better. :)

Jodi said...

What a great idea!!! I am now off to email my Trentster.

Kim said...

LOVE it! Thanks for sharing your heart.

www.journeytohannah.com
www.hannahsdaddy-petey.blogspot.com

luvmy4sons said...

That is precous. You will treasure that e-mail forever. Better print it out and keep a copy in your treasure chest.

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

That is so so golden

Anonymous said...

what a great way to reach your son. Good for you for being flexible on the means without compromising the message.

Melissa said...

Since I'm a "say what I'm thinking when I'm thinking it" type, and my husband is a "think very carefully before I speak" type, we have had some pretty deep discussions over email.

I'm sure Anna Marie will be asking me for an address sooner or later, so thanks for the heads up about this service!

Alene said...

Thanks for sharing. That touches me so. Our kids are so precious! God is doing great things! Amazing.

She Rose Up said...

I'm with Leslie! Make it wall paper in your bedroom or something! :)

Punctuation doesn't count in e-mails or text messages!

You have terrific kids & I love that the copy e-mails go to his Daddy! So glad that you have the blessing of an involved Father! Happy dance for you!

xoxo,
Maria

Tales From the Eurovan said...

Hi! Found your blog today over at my friend's blog Becoming Me. I love reading stuff my kids have written. You get to see them in a different way. I will stop by again. Take care, Julie

Rochelle said...

Goodness... this one left me in tears! You are a great mom. :)

concerned parent said...

This is such a cool idea! Thanks for the post I will have to do this for my Brooke she will feel special too.
Your email are very heat warming.

Anonymous said...

tear. jerker.

I must be pregnant.

I love your devotion to your children. I love how they KNOW that.

You do ROCK!

God bless-
Amanda

Ronel said...

That is awesome!! I can't wait to see this happen in my own home.

greta said...

I want to be YOU when I grow up! Hee, hee...... Not that Ia m saying you are old or anything. Just that we are in different phases of life! :)

Really, you are such an example of what I strive to be. Thank you!

love you,
greta

happyhome said...

Austin has an account, but I have not taken the time to utilize it as you have. Thanks for the great ideas and encouragement! I'm going to send him one right now.

I think I will also check out the account you mentioned. I don't like the ads that can pop up on MSN about dating services...yikes!

Ang

Unknown said...

Only a matter of time before my daughters want their own email addresses - this seems a great service.

Wonderful way to use it too :)

Shawna said...

What a blessing!!