Thirty- something speaks
Rare child sighting outdoors

Mike Maddock

Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, was one of those great Columbia winter days when the city was glowing under blue skies and warm sunshine. Of course, the next day was a wash- out, and I think my car may have floated away, but Saturday's warmth to start the New Year was proof there's no place like the South.

I don't care if it's El Nino, global warming, or just the fact we live below the Mason- Dixon Line, I was just glad to be a part of it. This was the kind of day that used to bring the population back outside. People, especially children, would emerge from their houses like butterflies. They'd spread their wings and break out the bikes and baseball gloves, or they'd just plop a lounge chair in the front yard and read a good book. It didn't matter - the cold drizzle had subsided, and the great outdoors was calling. Those cabin fever sufferers got a temporary reprieve and Mother Nature called them to come outside and play, but I guess that was before PlayStation 3, cable TV, the Internet, and cell phones.

Why cell phones? Because I can almost understand a couple of 13- year- old boys wasting a day on a video game trying to save the world from some cyber- monster. I'll admit 200+ channels can always provide something that is, at the very least, distracting enough to blow an hour or two. I don't really understand why anyone would choose to stare at a computer without getting some type of compensation, but the world wide web has something for everyone that even a sunny day can't compete with. It's cell phones that confuse and astound me.

While my kids were riding bikes into mailboxes, trees, and each other as they should have been, and I was walking the dog trying desperately to keep him from relieving himself in the neighbor's flower beds, up walked a ten- year- old boy. He also happened to be walking his dog. While I was stunned and excited to experience another child sighting outdoors (which is about as rare as the ivory- billed woodpecker these days), I was dismayed when I noticed the cell phone stuck in his ear. His dog gave a quick sniff to my dog, but the kid said nothing to us and just kept talking on that cell phone.

A few minutes later, two pre- teen girls rode past us. I was amazed because not only were these girls outside, but they were also riding bikes. An ivory- billed woodpecker could have been singing "Hello My Baby, Hello My Darling" at my feet, and I would not have been more surprised, but then I noticed the cell phones. These girls weren't saying a word to each other, but they sure were yapping on those cell phones as they pedaled past. I guess I should have just been happy these kids were outside, but I couldn't help wondering who in the world they were talking to.

I'm going to say this in my best old fogy voice, but when I was a kid terrorizing the neighborhood, everyone I needed to speak to was right there with me, and if they weren't, I still wouldn't know what to say to them on a cell phone other than, "Hey, come out and play!"

I know times are different now, but it disturbs me to think kids can't experience a little fun outdoors without some piece of hardware strapped to them. Somewhere along the line I missed the part where technology took over and playing for the sake of fun became obsolete.