We had a nice Spring break here at home and today the kids are back in school. I want to catch up a little on what we did this week. The big accomplishment was “going screen free.” I came up with the idea and was able to get the family on board with a little coercion and some monetary gains- i.e. the boys all got new roller blades.
One of my biggest pet peaves is kids spending too much time watching the T.V., playing the computer or video games, and basically not using their mind or body to be productive. I’m not against T.V., videos, etc., but I think there’s a tendency for media to become misused because it’s so easily accessible. My intention in going “screen free” was to eliminate the “I’m bored and can’t think of anything else to do, so can I just plop down in front of a screen?” or “I’m busy and don’t want to deal with you right now, so watch this show.” I found that was creeping into our daily routines too often. So, now, when those same issues come up, we know the screen isn’t an option and we fill that space of time with something else such as: roller blading, riding bikes, swimming, drawing, painting, playing a board game, building forts, playing outside, with chalk, play dough, cooking, reading, using Legos, etc. Using these little bits of time, here and there in productive ways, will ultimately, yield better fruit.
Nowadays, there are screens, screens, everywhere, from televisions, to computers, Ipods, cell phones, black berries, handheld video games, etc. They can totally bombard your life. I see so many teenagers so enraptured in this stuff at inappropriate times, (like when I’m teaching my Sunday school lesson), that I’m passionate about keeping it at bay. I want my kids to be technologically savvy, but also know there’s life beyond screens and be well versed in that as well.
We haven’t completely eliminated screens from our lives, but we’re taking more control of when and how they are used. We’re hoping that after our two-month trial period, we will have developed new habits and reverting back to the screen won’t be as enticing. (My fingers are crossed).
I want us all to be more conscious of how we spend our time. And use it to develop a talent, exercise, learn something new, etc., which will make us all more interesting individuals. I find that so many kids these days seem to be duds (the eyes glazed over look)- meaning, they are really good at text messaging, pushing buttons, using technology, but have a hard time carrying on an intelligent conversation, looking people in the eyes, and being engaging. I really want my kids to be interested in the world around them, and interesting people. I believe if we use our time wisely, in productive ways, they will be.
On a personal note, my big accomplishment this week was sanding down and refinishing our kitchen table. After eight years of use, our kitchen table was looking fairly junkie. The finish had worn off and marker, pen, and other stuff had seeped into the wood. Rather than buy a new table, I decided to refinish it. We borrowed an electric sander from a friend and I made the mistake of thinking it would be just fine to sand it in the middle of the kitchen, contrary to Brad’s advice to do it outside. So, after getting the sanding done, I got to spend the next two days, getting all the dust out of the house, which had blanketed every surface. I put three coats of stain and five coats of polyurethane, so I think it’s good to go for another eight years.
One of my biggest pet peaves is kids spending too much time watching the T.V., playing the computer or video games, and basically not using their mind or body to be productive. I’m not against T.V., videos, etc., but I think there’s a tendency for media to become misused because it’s so easily accessible. My intention in going “screen free” was to eliminate the “I’m bored and can’t think of anything else to do, so can I just plop down in front of a screen?” or “I’m busy and don’t want to deal with you right now, so watch this show.” I found that was creeping into our daily routines too often. So, now, when those same issues come up, we know the screen isn’t an option and we fill that space of time with something else such as: roller blading, riding bikes, swimming, drawing, painting, playing a board game, building forts, playing outside, with chalk, play dough, cooking, reading, using Legos, etc. Using these little bits of time, here and there in productive ways, will ultimately, yield better fruit.
Nowadays, there are screens, screens, everywhere, from televisions, to computers, Ipods, cell phones, black berries, handheld video games, etc. They can totally bombard your life. I see so many teenagers so enraptured in this stuff at inappropriate times, (like when I’m teaching my Sunday school lesson), that I’m passionate about keeping it at bay. I want my kids to be technologically savvy, but also know there’s life beyond screens and be well versed in that as well.
We haven’t completely eliminated screens from our lives, but we’re taking more control of when and how they are used. We’re hoping that after our two-month trial period, we will have developed new habits and reverting back to the screen won’t be as enticing. (My fingers are crossed).
I want us all to be more conscious of how we spend our time. And use it to develop a talent, exercise, learn something new, etc., which will make us all more interesting individuals. I find that so many kids these days seem to be duds (the eyes glazed over look)- meaning, they are really good at text messaging, pushing buttons, using technology, but have a hard time carrying on an intelligent conversation, looking people in the eyes, and being engaging. I really want my kids to be interested in the world around them, and interesting people. I believe if we use our time wisely, in productive ways, they will be.
On a personal note, my big accomplishment this week was sanding down and refinishing our kitchen table. After eight years of use, our kitchen table was looking fairly junkie. The finish had worn off and marker, pen, and other stuff had seeped into the wood. Rather than buy a new table, I decided to refinish it. We borrowed an electric sander from a friend and I made the mistake of thinking it would be just fine to sand it in the middle of the kitchen, contrary to Brad’s advice to do it outside. So, after getting the sanding done, I got to spend the next two days, getting all the dust out of the house, which had blanketed every surface. I put three coats of stain and five coats of polyurethane, so I think it’s good to go for another eight years.
2 comments:
I really admire what you're doing, AM. You might enjoy Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" -- though it was written 20 years ago, it applies to the "screen" issues you're combating.
As a kid, we weren't allowed to watch more than an hour a day of TV. My dad made our yard a kid's paradise, with zip-lines, a rotating maypole thing you could swing around on ("rings"), a fort, & a jungle gym. But today, could one even have all those things in the yard and not be sued if something happened to a neighbor kid on them? Taylor tells me a horror story from his own neighborhood about a man getting sued when kids trespassed & fooled around with his 4-wheeler and got injured.
Finally, how do you monitor what the boys do at other kids' homes? So if we can't make our home THE place to be with a very fun yard (as my dad did for us), and we also don't allow extra screen time, how do you keep the kids from running to the screens of their friends' homes?
I really want to know, since your efforts are so important! Taylor & I need to make Sundays and Monday nights, at the very least, screen free!
I'm with you on this issue. I hate the TV -it's just more noise in the house. I usually have Monday -Thursday TV free. We do homework, chores, soccer, baseball, scouts, etc. I tell them we focus on school and other activities during the week, and on Friday they can watch a DVD after dinner. It works pretty well. They spend a lot of time outside - getting muddy! :) Your table looks great. Our first table is too small for our family, we just got rid of it. I'm impressed yours has lasted so long. Just, think, you made it through another spring break. Summer's just around the corner!
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