I know newspapers are going out of style–especially with the younger set. But, I still take the paper. I love opening my front door in the quiet, chilly, still-dark hours of the morning and pulling the paper off my front stoop. I bring it in while the coffee is drip, drip, dripping on the kitchen counter and wrap the rubber band I’ve just removed onto our dingy family rubber band ball and know that whatever else happens during the day, I’ll have a few snippets of “news” to use for starting conversations.
Talking to teenagers is tough. Don’t let anyone–Mr. Rogers, Erma Bombeck (okay, neither of those fine folks are with us any longer, how about not even Oprah?)–tell you otherwise. It’s a mine field of “What did you mean by that?” and “I’m not stupid!” so anything neutral a mom can use to start up a semi-interesting conversation is greatly appreciated. The newspaper gives me something neutral from which to jump-start many conversations…
There is something in my morning paper that I can use with each of my kids, not to mention, strangers at the bank, co-workers, lagging conversations with my own mother on the phone–”I read in the paper this morning that they are going to implode that old warehouse on 10th street.” Child answers, “Yeah, the one with the graffiti mural and the great painting of Abby Hoffman?” And off we go on a fine adolescent socio-political conversation.
The newspaper gives me a buffer. Instead of saying, “You’re going to freeze going out in those shorts today!” I can say instead, “I read in the newspaper that they are predicting freezing rain and a high of 29 degrees. Boy howdy, does that sound cold!” No mom voice, no lecture, just the uncharged sharing of factual journalistic information.
The newspaper has crossword puzzles and games to linger over on a Saturday morning, not to mention the comics and political cartoons we snip out and stick to our overburdened refrigerator–conversation starters for sure. Now, I know a person can get a great deal of newsy information off the internet now, but what about comics and political cartoons? I don’t think so! As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for my daily reading of the morning paper, I’m not sure I would be able to hold my own in most of the human interactions I’m called upon to participate in as the hours unfold–parenting or otherwise!