[Island Life]

Right up front: my kids love X-Box, computer games, TV, etc. and they spend far too much time using these. But they also love the Lake, where - due to the absence of electricity - we have none of those things. My oldest, 12, says the lake is the only place he can truly relax. He spends long hours fishing, shooting his bow and arrows, creating games in the woods with his brother, cousins, and/or friends. He sits in front of the woodstove on rainy, chilly days and reads, or plays cards with his great-uncle. Most importantly, he gets bored - really bored - and has to figure out how to entertain himself. After some complaining and whining, he ends up doing really goofy, no-cost stuff that is wildly fun. And the best part is that 98% of the time it's something he thought up himself.

Do I expect it to stay like this forever? No. I was wild about the island as a kid but spent little time there as a teenager. I see the same thing happening with my nieces and nephews. But I came back (and love it more than ever) and they probably will, too.

Is there no technology? No. All the kids on the island have cell phones and they use them. They text each other, even when they're together in a group, they text their friends, they send each other goofy pix and videos. Sometimes it gets to be too much and they need to be told to stop, but for the most part its manageable and they're doing plenty of other things.

Do my kids enjoy doing the same things at home as they enjoy at the island? No. At home, they focus on friends, sports and technology. No creativity, no making up games in the woods, no hanging out at a bonfire with the older generation (and loving it!), no long lazy days with a book. It's as if the external stimulation in their non-island lives sucks out all memory of how fun those things are. It's only because we remove ourselves to that "quiet cabin in the woods" that they rediscover and refresh themselves. That's a decision I make - and the children make - to improve our lives.

Mr. V., I'm fortunate enough to be able to take my kids pretty much wherever I or they want to go. They've been to many different countries on 4 different continents, they go on one or two fancy snowboarding vacations every Winter/Spring, but in the summer we all agree there is only one destination: Winnipesaukee - - good for the soul.