Let's talk about an unhealthy addiction in my home. I'm not talking about the insane quantities of Pirate Booty, apple juice or diet soda consumed on a daily basis. Those addictions are going to take some professional help. I'm talking about electronics.Here's the skinny. Lots of devices/gaming systems/phones. Two adults. Two kids. Eight eyes glued to a screen. One little boy who gets really, uh, intense after too much screen time.
It all came to a head Saturday. My sweet aunt and grandmother watched my kids while Ben and I attended the temple for our church. When we returned, my 6-year old cousin informed me that my son "broke the iPad". Sure enough, in a fit of electronics-induced rage, he chucked the iPad (theirs, not ours) and chipped a corner. Mortified people. Mortified.
The ride from San Antonio to Austin was not pleasant for my little guy. By the time we reached our house he had managed to lose all electronics (besides TV) until Wednesday.
Then in a moment of inner reflection, meaning Ben wasn't home to stop my crazy plan, I decided we are imposing a modified, screen-free week.
Here's the plan:
- No handheld electronics for all
inmatesresidents under the age of 30. This includes iPads, tablets, e-readers, smart phones and gaming systems. - Drastically reduced phone and internet surfing time for mom. I have photo shoots to process and a blog to contribute to so I can't go cold turkey. I will try to limit this to child-sleeping hours as much as possible. Check out me justifying my addiction.
- Limited TV time. I'm thinking two hours a day. Still need to discuss this with Ben.
- One "summer fun" activity each day. Something physical.
- One engaged family activity each night. Everyone has to be able to see each other and converse. Dinner doesn't count.
Has any one else unplugged their families? Any thoughts? Ideas? Sanity savers? Please share. I'll let you know next week how it all shakes out. This might be one long week.
