They call me upper middle-aged. That means I’m closer to 100 than 0 and WAY closer to a calm retirement than those exciting starting out days when I had no idea what I was doing. If you are new to my blog, you may notice a decidedly disorganized, unfocused approach to things. Well, part of that is due to my increasingly disorganized approach to life. Part of it is due to rate increases on my former web hosting service (thank you very much SquareSpace). Part of it is due to my inability to systematically merge my old blog (Technology and Parenting) with this new blog (I haven’t thought of a catchy name yet). But, to be honest, most of it is my desire to expand. Expand not just my waistline or my music preferences, but my passions.
When I started out in this field of academia, some wise person told me I needed to establish a research agenda…something that would focus my time and writing. And I did that. I chose the impact of technology. At the time my kids were just jumping into the world of Instant Messenger, Myspace, and videogames. I wanted to figure out how to be a good parent and a good scholar, all at once. So I researched, I read, I wrote, I taught. I became Mrs. Technology. I was the person parents would come to when their kids were getting into trouble online or when they couldn’t figure out how to use that MySpace thing.
Well, times have changed. Myspace is gone. My kids are all grown up. And I have a hard time getting excited about one more Facebook paper from my students. So I made a decision. I don’t need someone’s suffocating research agenda that will restrict what I spend my time reading, writing, teaching, and thinking about. I am an upper-middle aged woman with tenure, for Pete’s sake. I can actually have more than one interest at a time.
So here I am. Unfocused. A little disorganized. Ready to find new areas of passion. Ready to cast off the expensive blog (formerly known as Technology and Parenting) and dive into a chaotic, freer form, cheaper blog soon to be called something really catchy. Ready to embark on lots of grand adventures.
All that to say, parenting, technology, social media, faith–they are all still here. You might need to use the tag button to find them. But I hope to add more thoughts on things like travel, intercultural adventures, the Fulbright scholarship, eldercare, home health aides, growing old, and growing wise. Hopefully, I can add something of worth to what you are looking for.
Thanks for stopping by.
Peggy Kendall 