The Mom Crowd

In today’s society, we often find ourselves completely submerged into everything technology.  Have you ever sat back and watched your day unfold and realize how much technology you are plugged into throughout your day?

While waiting for a doctor’s appointment one day, I read an article about a family who changed their ways as a family, and unplugged from everything technology. This particular article went on to say how much it has drastically improved the family unit, how much they actually talk to each other at the dinner table, and how much they truly enjoy getting back to the grass roots of being a true family.

I went home with this concept heavily on my mind. In my family, we have had a few days here and there where we would turn off our cell phones, or not turn on the computer, but to unplug from EVERYTHING? That was a scary thought. However, after a conversation with my husband we were both game on. Let’s do this!

We broke the news to our 2 oldest kids. I’m pretty sure they thought they were going to die without the Sprout Channel. My oldest, 5, thought she was going to fail school because I wasn’t going to turn on the computer, (we home school so her coursework is online, but little does she know we can do without the computer for a little while). My other daughter nearly cried her eyes out because she thought I was punishing her from not being able to watch her most favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So we explained to them the reason for what we were going to attempt to do. We talked to them about how when Mommy & Papa were kids we didn’t have all these fancy shows, or computers, ipads, video games. We actually had to play outside, get creative and play make believe, those sort of things. After a heavy conversation they saw the light and were on board with us.

We turned off the TV, computers, phones, video games, anything technology was turned off. It was fabulous! All of a sudden we had long days of being together as a family.  We are a very close family anyways, but this seemed to bring us closer. More cuddle time. More reading took place between the kids. They actually learned how to play together nicely. My husband and I could actually carry a conversation. For once, in a very long time, I felt balanced. My world didn’t end. My friends were still there after we were done for the week. It was amazing.

At the end of the week, we talked with the kids, asked them what they thought of how things went. They proceeded to tell us they hardly realized that we had TV or computers. They didn’t miss them at all. That they had so much fun playing outside together, getting messy with sidewalk chalk. They enjoyed all the added snuggle time together. It made my heart extremely happy. Everyone was happy and alive!

Today, we watch limited TV. The kids aren’t nearly as plugged in as they were before the experiment. Since I work from home via the internet I have to be plugged in to some degree to keep food on the table.  However, I strongly urge every family to give this a try. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you can get done in one day when you aren’t constantly checking facebook, email, or getting sucked into a new TV reality show.

I wish you good luck. It’s a rejuvenating experience. Try it, I know you can do it. You will be glad you did.