So Called Mom

quit screens

The Business of Being Bored: Surviving Screen Free Week

by ·

It’s official. I hate the words: I’m BORED.

I mean, I hated those words long before we went a week without screens sucking the life out of us, but I hate it even more now. We don’t want our kids to be bored. We want them to be entertained and even better, to be doing something worthwhile. We want them to make the most out of their childhood. And we don’t want to be living life for them, but since screens have arrived on the scene, playtime doesn’t seem to come naturally anymore. So we have to keep pushing for it.

screen free, addicted to screens

So when the kids came to me with the idea of doing a lemonade stand, I was all for it:

I think they forgot about their boredom for the entire afternoon and wound up having a great time, celebrating these final days of summer.

As of today, I’m trying to get everyone to substitute the word bored with free time. It just sounds better, like the start of a solution, instead of the end of ambition: Entertain me, I’m bored. Yikes!

screen free, quit screens, addicted to screens,

This is hard to commit to, even so. I’d love for this to be our new ground zero. Letting the kids free range with screens as they please makes parenting a snap because you can get away with putting in less effort. I hate admitting that, but it’s true. When you pull the plug on screen time, you’re forced to join in and work harder at engagement. There’s a lot of together time–a lot of active time–and we all feel way more wiped out by sundown than we ever have. And it’s not always fun or easy–but we try and that’s what counts.

screen free, kids and music, play guitar, addicted to screens

I don’t know how long the kids are going to stick with it, but with school looming just around the corner, I have high hopes that it will have at least some longevity at our house.

One day at a time….

So-Called Mom

Screen Detox: The first 24 hours

by ·

When I announced a plea to go screen free and have a hard reset before school starts, the teenagers acted like I was asking them to hold their breath until I said stop.

Side Note: The trouble with having a gaggle of children in your family is that at some point they get older, and band together, much like a wolf pack. My set of four teens (ages 17-14): Jake, Phoenix, Em and Milla (and soon to be MJ, ack!) have grown up and into an unbreakable bond. As a result, they have learned the subtle art of luring me into the middle so they can pounce. Well played on their part, I must say. However, when they stick up for each other like this (even when they did something wrong), I get tangled in the conflict easily. If they didn’t defend each other with such hard core allegiance, I wouldn’t find myself arguing with one kid about the other while they are sitting right next to me.

In the case of screens and teens and my sudden aptitude for inhumanity (well, according to them), their wolf-pack tactic was in full play:

 

But I insist. This hard reset is all about developing new habits. It’s about cutting way back and figuring out where the trouble spots are and finally arriving at what the balance is. I believe wholeheartedly that we can do better than this, and I fully accept the blame in not setting these boundaries from the get-go. But in my So Called Mom spirit, I’m fixing it now, and that’s what matters. Because there’s nothing worse than contributing to a generation of kids who can’t look 6-12 inches past their noses.

teenagers, responsibility, lazy teens

As of 24 hours later, I still feel grounded and confident in this decision. Everyone has been keeping busy enough with board games and going outside. But Hmmm, what will Day TWO bring us?

So-Called Mom