Email at 7
My daughter has been asking me if she could write email to her grand parents. This request came on close heels after her grandma told her to write occasional email messages, before leaving India.
Although a domain address was planned for her later, I didn’t think it would come this soon. But yesterday, after contemplating on whether to let her use either of our email addresses to send messages, I decided that she might finally have her own account.
I was probably in my 4th or 5th grade when we wrote our first (fictitious) letter in class. Today’s kids have the luxury of receiving a response to their maiden letters (as email messages) and it is a sure and an exciting way of putting theory into practice. And it is with this reason, I decided to let her have her own address.
But we will hold hand. All messages will also be forwarded to parents’ account(s). This will help us warn her about and train her to be prepared for the ugly side of email. May be a little later, she will get to learn about the etiquettes of writing an email. Checking for new mail will be an assisted one too: login will be rationed to once or twice a week at the maximum.
For me as a parent, re-learning the excitement of “you’ve got mail” is nostalgically fun.
small suggestion - ask her to write the draft in her own handwriting on notebook/scan it and then send it. You need to pre-process parents on other end to be ready for this.
Feb 27, 07 at 08:32I did this practice with my niece and my sister tells this has enhanced her ability to write, get down at one place and not be used to the tools of computer(delete/ctrl-z etc).
Writing and recieving first mail is always fun. Remember the stamps ;), the use of gum etc.
That’s a good idea! But I see a few problems: (1) attachments tend to become larger, download problems and pdf becomes a pre-requisite (something “the other end” is not good at (Standing instructions to “the other end” are “do not open attachments” — which in turn keeps their PC sane until I come over for vacation and do a routine maintenance. (2) My scanner has developed a problem: some twain error, that I am lazy to fix
We are fairly confident that this is not a problem, thank goodness, she writes legible enough to read. It is proof-read anyway
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Feb 27, 07 at 08:45Dare I admit it, you are training me to be a parent too
BTW that ‘twain’ error is probably due to incompatible drivers. Download the latest version (can’t believe I’m giving you a tech tip…for all I know, I might be wrong)
Mar 5, 07 at 06:16Yes, you’re right. It was working all along and until recently.
Mar 5, 07 at 10:20Actually I was talking about them to be prepared for attachments etc on the flickr
(but I guess that is again download etc). I have seen her drawing they are clean, i am sure her handwriting would be better than dad 
(who has mean clean strokes)
Mar 9, 07 at 11:26