Today marks the first day we are going unplugged. The Unplugged Experiment means going completely off TV, video games, and internet for the kids and only semi-completely for me as I work online and have some blog business to do. However, I will not be visiting social media sites that do not pertain to work or project related endeavors.
Day 1:
I already broke the rule about only using social media for work endeavors. I was on and a friend commented to me and I responded. Other than that, I have been a good girl. I got my work done early and tied up any lose ends on the social media work related stuff and then I am ready to be screen free for the rest of the day. For me that is not difficult since I do not watch TV during the day. I only watch TV at night after the kids go to bed. My plan is to get some work done, read a bit and then go to bed myself.
Normally my six year old and 12 year old argue every morning as they are the early birds. They argue over who gets to watch TV before chores and school begins. There is a bit of lag time from the time they get up until chores and school begins. Well, this morning no arguing. There was nothing to argue over so they just played Legos together. The cooperative play lasted even when my three year old wanted to get in on the act.
My teenager is of a different breed. While she has a Facebook account, Twitter account, cell phone, Tumbler account, and blog she is rarely online or on the phone. She does not watch much TV and play a video game maybe for twenty minutes a few times a year. She is perfectly happy reading, crocheting, playing piano and spending face to face time with friends. In her opinion, this week needs to be life. So, she has no missed a thing and enjoys the less chaotic atmosphere.
It is only day 1 and I see some positive changes in my children’s interaction. No one seems to miss the TV or the video game system yet. We shall see what tomorrow brings.