Update: Trading Screen Time for a Healthier Family

I had every good intention when I decided to give up my smartphone during family time, and I'm counting on you guys to keep me honest. So I'll tell you: it's not as easy as I thought it would be.



Johnny getting an early start on the screen time addiction

I took the day off, and I never considered the amount of work-related correspondence I engage in when I'm not at the office. In the grocery store my husband pointed accusingly at my phone while I texted.

"What are you doing?" he asked, gesturing to the child in our shopping cart.

It also took a lot of restraint not to check Facebook and obsessively track my blog stats. I did my best, and we had a great day. But when my husband left for school in the evening, I knew what I had to do. I plugged my phone into the charger in the bedroom upstairs and went into the downstairs playroom with Johnny.*

The first toy he seized was his beloved soccer ball. Luckily, our playroom is big, so I decided to play catch with him. (Bear with me while I parent-brag - my 16 month-old not only throws balls directly to us, but he also dribbles the soccer ball with a dexterity he certainly didn't inherit from me.)

I discovered several things during this roughly 30 minute activity.

(1) When I used team-sport jargon like, "Johnny, I'm open! Throw it over here!" he was into it. It felt like we were playing a real game (without rules, of course).

(2) He got the hang of throwing the ball and waiting for me to throw it back, as opposed to chasing it.

(3) He really enjoys watching me run from one end of the room to the other. Consequently, if at any point I stood still, he nudged my leg with his hand to encourage me to dart across the room and throw him the ball.

(4) Apparently I haven't high-fived him enough in the past few months, because every time I tried he gently kissed my hand.**

(5) I am really out of shape. I broke a sweat within 5 minutes.

(6) Most importantly, my son and I laughed so hard we could hardly breathe (again, I'm out of shape).

Sorry I don't have any pictures or video, but as you know that was against the rules - and it would have broken our focus. We had a blast!

See the origins of this endeavor here.


P.S. In the spirit of honesty, I did jump on my phone once he was asleep (I'm weak!). So here are some links that made me laugh (or smile) this week.


*I never go into the downstairs playroom without my phone. What if he does something adorable and I don't catch it on video? What if he stands in the perfect light and I don't capture the image to share with all our friends and family? Or... what if his next word is "IPhone," as my aunt Peg suggested the last time I posted one too many videos?

**He high-fives his dad all the time. Definitely need to do this with him more, so he doesn't strictly associate Dad with playtime an Mom with hugs and kisses.

Trading Screen Time for a Healthier Family

Lent is upon us, and I thought long and hard about this before I decided to commit to it... I am giving up the use of my Smartphone while in the company of my husband and son.

There are too many times in recent memory when I half-listened to a story or missed an adorable moment because I was scanning through Facebook, Pinterest, Buzzfeed, Instagram or Twitter.

A few months ago my husband and I were sitting side by side, each of us scrolling through our IPhones, and I paused.

"Why don't we pay attention to each other?" I suggested.

He half-jokingly replied, "Why? We have IPhones."

Joking aside, it's true. Sometimes while we're having an interesting conversation one of us asks a question. Soon enough the other is googling the answer and by the time we find it, neither of us cares anymore and the conversation came to a halt.

Christmas Eve 2013:
My family, showing Christmas cheer by interacting with anyone but each other.

Last Saturday as we all sat in the playroom I was scanning through my phone. My husband and son were playing and I was vaguely aware of Johnny's squawks while I browsed away. Finally I turned and saw him gazing up at me, arms outstretched, begging for my attention. He wasn't grasping for my phone, which he sometimes does - he was grasping for me. It is that memory that made me decide:

The precious few hours a week I have with my boys are more important than anything a stranger or acquaintance has to say on social media.

If it's important, I will see it later.

Smartphones are great, and they have practical purposes. I'm not saying I won't search Google Maps if we're driving somewhere, or that I won't check the weather when we're discussing plans to fly a kite. If an emergency phone call comes through, I'll pick it up.

But for the next 40 days, my phone will stay away (maybe in my pocket - baby steps) while I think about the little things we sacrifice this season in order to honor the greatest sacrifice of all.


Are you giving up anything for Lent? Have you ever made a commitment to ignore social media for your family? Please share your thoughts and stories!


P.S. I've made commitments before, and it's important to know what you're getting yourself into (but so worth it if you do). Read about the #100happydays project here, and join in the fun!