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Computers Verses Knitters!
Submitted By Anonymous

I featured a woman named Laura Kelly on the show who found there was a business opportunity for women and girls enjoy handwork. I received an email from Rachel A. Dixon from Temple University who questioned my comment about having girls getting their hands off the computer keyboard and into some handwork.

Here email reads:

“Laura stated that the “kids” are so into computers that they need to use their hands more. She did not state “girls” should knit more. Many women have worked hard to give the younger generation of girls educational and career opportunities that older generations may not have had. This is not an objection of “traditional” female activities such as knitting, however, I feel that “girls” should not be singled out and encouraged to “get away from the computers”


I agree that girls should not be encouraged to get away from computers unless they are spending hours instant messaging and not learning or developing computer skills. I am constantly telling my kids to get off the computer and practice their musical instruments, read or go outside and play and it is always a real chore. Sure, you can have the computers turn off at a certain time of night, but the monitoring their time before that takes energy I never previously had to expend… not to mention text messaging!

I taught myself to play the guitar because I was born in the prehistoric age before computers and cell phones and had disconnected time from my peers. I also learned to crochet and embroider as a Girl Scout and continued for years in my childhood during that “alone” time that computers keep our children from experiencing. I look back on that time as a good time.

There is no question that computer technology is and will be an integral part of their lives and girls should be encourage to venture into the technology field if they are so inclined. I marvel at my sister- in- law, Justine who designs computers for HP.

I suppose I am more conditioned to believe boys are more geared for computer technology than girls. I have a son with a computer network company. My husband and other boys have geek genes.

Maybe this thinking is why less girls go into the field. Moms like me are not encouraging our daughters to investigate the possibility.

Thanks for helping me rethink that Rachel. And, thanks to Laura Kelly who made me realize there should always be a place for something natural like handwork in our children’s lives no matter what computers bring.




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