As I have grown up, the internet has always played some kind of role. From some of my earliest memories, my family had a home computer, so my siblings and I became familiar with it from a young age. I remember playing Disney games and playing with online coloring books all the time as a child. My parents set a lot of restrictions on our internet use (understandably), but it was still one of our favorite “toys”. The internet was so much simpler 15+ years ago and was mostly for practical uses. Websites that featured games and activities for younger children were fairly simple and not nearly as sophisticated as they are today. I would say that my internet use began to change when it became incorporated in my schoolwork, around second or third grade. That was when I realized all that the internet really had to offer, other than fun games to play when I was bored and my mom would let me. The internet then became a more integral part of my education. I am grateful that I grew up learning to use a computer and the internet because it has made a lot of things simpler and given me a lot of skills that may have been difficult to master had I started later in life.

One of our favorite sites growing up, circa 2001.