UNPLUGGING FOR A BIT

Mom, is it my turn for the computer?

Mom, can I have the remote yet?

Mom, he's had the kindle forever!

Have you heard phrases like this in your home? It always seems to start with Mom drawn out in a long whine. {smiles} We live in a plugged in world. Everyone has TVs, everyone has computers, and everyone has cell phones and nowadays everyone has kindles/ipads/nooks. Our eyes are glued to screens, big and small, all day long. I am very guilty of this myself. While I do not watch tv, I spend many hours on my computer and when away from my computer, I spend much time on my cell phone. I love being connected and plugged in.

But if I were honest, sometimes I get a little tired of it all. Sometimes I want all six pairs of eyes in our home to be on each other and not a screen. Sometimes I just want to get out and be in nature. Sometimes I want to plug into only my family and God.

In our home we have no phone zones, such as meal time, prayer time, devotions, school time and church time. We only allow the kids so much time on the computer and we try to keep their TV watching to a minimum. But we are not perfect at this. There are days the kids go from the computer to the kindle. There are days they watch too much TV. And there are days I spend way to much time on the computer.

As much as my kids love to play on the computer or kindle and watch movies, I truly believe they more enjoy times being unplugged. The days that I, after dinner, I say get your shoes on let's go for a walk, they light up like they never do at my allowing them to play on the computer. The days I pull out the Uno cards they light up like they never do at popping in a movie.

I think it is time to regain family time. Time to unplug from the world a little more and plug into family.

What are ways we can plug into family?

1. Set a time limit to things such as TV, computer, ereaders and cell phones. Stick to it! Even you {me}!
2. Commit to family dinner at the table at least four nights a week. Statistics prove that families who have consistent meal times together are stronger and the kids do better in school.
3. After dinner, instead of crashing in front of the tv, go for a walk as a family, read a book together letting each reader in the home read a few pages, play a board game or do a puzzle.
4. Before bed turn off all electronics and sit around together talking. Have everyone say their high and low points from the day.
5. Commit to family devotions each day.

These are memories your children will have for life. I want my children to remember times together, not times of each person sitting in their own corner of the room playing on their own cell/laptop/ereader.  

Unplug from the world and plug into your family.