I thought the old, reliable typewriter has gone the way of extinction.
In my line of work, for greater efficiency and swiftness, the norm has of late been “copy + paste” or “cut + paste,” which the fossilized typewriter cannot do. (I remember seeing in court a complete replica of a Petition I meticulously prepared, but filed by another lawyer. Apparently all that the lawyer did was to “copy + paste” my work from the first capital letter down to the last period, and pass off the Petition as his own. Good thing he did not make the mortal sin of doing a “copy + paste” of my name and signature.)
Despite the seeming obsolescence of the typewriter, I realized that lawyers will vigorously object to any motion to compel the typewriter follow the trail of the dinosaur.
Take the case of money claims of not more than P100,000.00. I have advised a number of my clients to file their action for collection with the Small Claims Court. The upside is, the filing fee is inexpensive (around P 2,000.00), and the procedure speedy. Topping that is the fact that the pleadings are in ready forms, which can be easily filled-up even by non-lawyer litigants. But, surprise of all surprises, try as you might, you will find it difficult to fill in the blanks using the overrated computer. Even if you use word programs from Microsoft or Apple, you will find it an extra challenge to type words right on top of the lines of the Small Claims Forms.
So, if your writing looks scribbled by your foot than by your hand, and you want to file a neat complaint with the Small Claims Court, go for – yes, you guessed right – the much-maligned typewriter. Sure, you won’t be able to change the font (sorry, folks, the only font available is… typewriter) or enlarge the font size, but at least you can effortlessly manipulate the baker’s rolling pin-like contraption to go to the line that you need to fill up.
I guess not all old-fashioned things should go into retirement. Like typewriters… like parents taking the initiative to teach sex education to their children.
Just this morning I read an article in the papers where DOH Secretary Cabral was quoted to have said that sex education should be taught in kindergarten. Now, I’m not going to take issue as to the appropriate age that the topic of sex should be introduced to kids, but I will insist that parents should be the first teachers in this subject area.
Likewise, since there is already a wealth of resources available on the topic of “how-to-say-it” to children, I venture to go into the often uncharted territory of “how-not-to-say-it.” Here are a few “how-not-to-say-it” that other parents could surely enrich:
1. “You shouldn’t have sex before marriage, but if you can’t help it, use a condom.” When parents use the phrase “You shouldn’t but if you can’t help it…,” what they are actually saying is that pre-marital sex is acceptable — “if you can’t help it.” The odd thing about kids is that they only remember the phrase “if you can’t help it” and forget the “you shouldn’t” part that went before. Sure, a parent may simply want to say that condom use reduces the risks of pregnancy (caveat: studies show that there is no 100% assurance), but it is far more important to make a categorical statement that pre-marital sex is immoral. Suffice it to state that kids need clear statements of the values that parents hold dear. Kids know the difference between safe sex and abstinence. They know, too, when parents treat the latter as more important.
2. “Nowadays children graduate from high school with sex experience, so I expect that you probably will, too. Just be careful.” This statement, no doubt, is a sugar-coated permission to engage in pre-marital sex. In fact, the “just be careful” part is not a prohibition at all; it’s a virtual “okay” with a warning to avoid pregnancy or contracting sexually-transmitted diseases. According to Dr. Paul Coleman, who authored “How to Say It To Your Kids,” this warning of sorts “is like telling your child that you have no faith in his or her ability to resist peer pressure or to make a mature decision regarding sex.” I couldn’t agree more.
3. “If I find out you had sex, forget that you have parents.” With this comment, a child will certainly see how clear a parent’s values are against pre-marital sex. But, parents uttering this line will see their children clamming up. When peer pressure to have sex is too heavy to bear, children will run to other persons who are willing to listen and talk, and understand their situation. So, the best combination is still clear values plus open lines of communication.
Now, I know some parents (and teenagers) reading this column may find my views Jurrasic, but, hey, so is the typewriter.
Or so we think.
In my line of work, for greater efficiency and swiftness, the norm has of late been “copy + paste” or “cut + paste,” which the fossilized typewriter cannot do. (I remember seeing in court a complete replica of a Petition I meticulously prepared, but filed by another lawyer. Apparently all that the lawyer did was to “copy + paste” my work from the first capital letter down to the last period, and pass off the Petition as his own. Good thing he did not make the mortal sin of doing a “copy + paste” of my name and signature.)
Despite the seeming obsolescence of the typewriter, I realized that lawyers will vigorously object to any motion to compel the typewriter follow the trail of the dinosaur.
Take the case of money claims of not more than P100,000.00. I have advised a number of my clients to file their action for collection with the Small Claims Court. The upside is, the filing fee is inexpensive (around P 2,000.00), and the procedure speedy. Topping that is the fact that the pleadings are in ready forms, which can be easily filled-up even by non-lawyer litigants. But, surprise of all surprises, try as you might, you will find it difficult to fill in the blanks using the overrated computer. Even if you use word programs from Microsoft or Apple, you will find it an extra challenge to type words right on top of the lines of the Small Claims Forms.
So, if your writing looks scribbled by your foot than by your hand, and you want to file a neat complaint with the Small Claims Court, go for – yes, you guessed right – the much-maligned typewriter. Sure, you won’t be able to change the font (sorry, folks, the only font available is… typewriter) or enlarge the font size, but at least you can effortlessly manipulate the baker’s rolling pin-like contraption to go to the line that you need to fill up.
I guess not all old-fashioned things should go into retirement. Like typewriters… like parents taking the initiative to teach sex education to their children.
Just this morning I read an article in the papers where DOH Secretary Cabral was quoted to have said that sex education should be taught in kindergarten. Now, I’m not going to take issue as to the appropriate age that the topic of sex should be introduced to kids, but I will insist that parents should be the first teachers in this subject area.
Likewise, since there is already a wealth of resources available on the topic of “how-to-say-it” to children, I venture to go into the often uncharted territory of “how-not-to-say-it.” Here are a few “how-not-to-say-it” that other parents could surely enrich:
1. “You shouldn’t have sex before marriage, but if you can’t help it, use a condom.” When parents use the phrase “You shouldn’t but if you can’t help it…,” what they are actually saying is that pre-marital sex is acceptable — “if you can’t help it.” The odd thing about kids is that they only remember the phrase “if you can’t help it” and forget the “you shouldn’t” part that went before. Sure, a parent may simply want to say that condom use reduces the risks of pregnancy (caveat: studies show that there is no 100% assurance), but it is far more important to make a categorical statement that pre-marital sex is immoral. Suffice it to state that kids need clear statements of the values that parents hold dear. Kids know the difference between safe sex and abstinence. They know, too, when parents treat the latter as more important.
2. “Nowadays children graduate from high school with sex experience, so I expect that you probably will, too. Just be careful.” This statement, no doubt, is a sugar-coated permission to engage in pre-marital sex. In fact, the “just be careful” part is not a prohibition at all; it’s a virtual “okay” with a warning to avoid pregnancy or contracting sexually-transmitted diseases. According to Dr. Paul Coleman, who authored “How to Say It To Your Kids,” this warning of sorts “is like telling your child that you have no faith in his or her ability to resist peer pressure or to make a mature decision regarding sex.” I couldn’t agree more.
3. “If I find out you had sex, forget that you have parents.” With this comment, a child will certainly see how clear a parent’s values are against pre-marital sex. But, parents uttering this line will see their children clamming up. When peer pressure to have sex is too heavy to bear, children will run to other persons who are willing to listen and talk, and understand their situation. So, the best combination is still clear values plus open lines of communication.
Now, I know some parents (and teenagers) reading this column may find my views Jurrasic, but, hey, so is the typewriter.
Or so we think.
