Not that anyone has been waiting on the edge of their seats.... but it's been a while since my last post. The main reason for this is logistics. It's just not as easy to blog now that we have put our computer away. Obviously not completely away, but away from the convenient place that it used to be.
Our kids love the computer. And, truth be known, so do I. But, simply put, we were just spending way too much time and mental energy regulating who was on the computer and when, whose turn is was and how much time was too much. We were also noticing that Jacob is significantly more "chatty" and engaged when he has no screen time. Our girls seemed to be able to function fine with some computer game time and a few videos here and there. But boys seem to be different. At least this boy. His mind doesn't seem to be able to focus when these things are in his world. So.... we removed them. Completely.
He no longer has any TV time and zero computer time. Sounds kind of cruel, doesn't it? Well, it's not. Our boy, who is and has been struggling so with language and engagement is suddenly a social butterfly. He's talking and laughing and playing and imagining and discovering new joys that he never even knew existed.
I don't think this is the only factor is this change we are seeing. We have also changed his diet and implemented a few more proactive things to help with his development. And even though I think he willl still need some speech therapy to catch up, I really think that this removal of screen time is the main thing that is making a difference.
I think (and it has been proven by people who are much smarter than I am) that "screen time", even in small amounts, really effects children's brains in adverse ways, and boys are especially susceptible to this. I recently read a widely accepted study that said that for every hour of daily screen time a kid has between the ages of 1 and 4, their risk for having ADHD by age 7 goes up 10%. (I would cite who did that study, but I don't remember... I read it while standing in the bookstore.)
A love for TV and computer time for our kids has never been a value that we truly desired to give to our children. In fact, we are, in theory, opposed to it. We've gone years in our marriage with no TV at all and hardly missed it. But as kids get older, life gets busier and my comfort is to gravitate towards what is easy. And that's what I've done. I've traded what is best for my kids for what is easier. So now... we pull the ox out of the ditch.
I'm certainly not proposing that our choices should be everyone's choices. I am, however, amazed at the difference I've seen in our family. It's a difference I knew would happen in some ways, yet was amazing in others. I'm seeing the value of the common-sense values of our parents and the fruit of passing those on to my children.
I like bandwagons. And sometimes I am prone to jump on them. But this, I hope, is more than that. It's a choice we're making for our family and I'm excited to see where it will lead. We'll still use computers for school and in a responsible way. And we'll still have the occasional family movie night. But without these distractions as a part of our daily lives, there are so many other valuable things I want to be doing with my kids. And now we have the chance to do them.
This week, we've hunted for snails and blown bubbles. Gone for walks, played in a field of dandelions, played dress up, gone to a baseball game, saw fireworks, and got haircuts. We went to the Children's Museum, played in the sandbox, walked on the beach, did a beach clean-up day and threw rocks. We did puzzles, went to the library, played with wiki-sticks and read a ton of books. We made birthday cards, practiced flashcards, played with friends and watched dump trucks. The list goes on. But those are a few examples of why I wish I had been bold enough to make this decision years ago.
A week without TV and computer games. And we're just so not missing it. Really.
And, by the way, you know that I took pictures of all of those things I listed up there. I just have to put my computer back together to download them all. :)
3 comments:
I was wondering where you'd gone. I can't wait to see the pictures of all the things you guys have been doing!
I actually was wondering too! So glad to hear things are working better in your family. And I agree totally - about April through November we watch almost no tv and use less computer and I always comment how little we miss it when during those months we spend so much time outside. Winter is just so grueling in so many ways...I have to admit I am not strong enough to give up the diversion then!
I hear you. You can feel the difference if you can make yourself hold out. We jump on and off the blackout bandwagon too. It's HARD to stick to it! I will say that during Lent when we limited tv and computer to only "Christian" shows it naturally made everything slow down a ton and I did feel there was a more positive energy- definitely less frantic. Keep us posted on your wonderful progress- I know you will keep seeing fruit from this decision!
Post a Comment