Plugged in. There are too many times that I look around the room and see us all plugged in. My husband, myself, my daughter. Life has changed a lot since I grew up. Dependence on technology has increased tenfold. Technology has brought some truly great things. Sometimes, though, I think that we are missing a lot by spending so much time on the computer.
My grandmother always encourages me to enjoy each moment of life. She always says, "Don't wish your life away." One of the most important lessons I have learned in my life is to listen to Grandma. So, we are trying to slow things down a bit. Read more books, play more games, hike more, bake more, explore more.
Being someone who grew up along with the big boom in information systems, using computers and the internet has always been intriguing to me. However, it has become too much of an escape--a crutch to pass my free time. So, we started to focus on powering down more often this summer.
Of course, this plan can quite easily be thwarted. Recently, my daughter began a new school year. We learned that when she has free time in class, she will be allowed to work on an IPad. In addition, she works on the computer during her library time, for various projects during the week and for math and reading homework. Can she ever have a break from the computer? This has strengthened my conviction to power down when we can.
Sometimes, it feels that technology has encroached into every sector of our lives. Don't get me wrong. I love technology and some of the things that it has done for sharing knowledge. However, there are so many other things to experience in life.
I am focusing on finding our balance and trying to help my family avoid the great computer suck in. Just think about how much time you have spent surfing the net only to realize that half of a day has disappeared? Our goal is to try to take some of that time back for other experiences. Of course, a little mindless web surfing is fun. But, we need to keep that time spent to a reasonable amount. Life is short and there is so much to enjoy!
I love this post because it is so true! We need to have time away from the Internet and all of our devices for sure. I especially like to really try to balance this because I'm a wife and mommy first above anything else I need to do online! Thanks so much for sharing this. I pinned this for sure! Thanks for linking up to Mommy Monday.
ReplyDeleteXoXo,
Brittnei
Http://homemakingwithstyle.blogspot.com
So True! We have about every electronic that you can think of around my house...ipod, ipad, iphone, laptop, leappad, DS, PS3...etc, you name it; we have it! However, I believe that we have a decent balance between staying connected and time with our tech toys. We achieve this balance by getting out of the house to do activities, doing crafts, playing board games on the weekends and Friday nights are Family movie nights. To connect during the week, we eat dinner at the table and talk about the day's events and we go to the gym as a family and read devotionals/bible each night before bed. Thanks for sharing this reminder! We are still striving to maintain the balance especially for when the kids get into their teens (we have 3 kids, 7 and under). Stopping by from Mommy Monday Hop!
ReplyDelete-Natasha @ Lovely You
www.lovelyyoublog.com