I had no clue how this was going to go. Our first media free night was deemed a success. And not just by me. The family enjoyed it too. Or at least that's what they said and I'm holding them to it. So far, no one hates me (yet) and we are going to continue it.
Truthfully, we almost forgot about it. Art was the first to realize, so we didn't actually start until 4 pm. And then I had to go pick up dad from work, so the boys snuck in an extra episode of Phineas and Ferb while I was out. But I'm not holding a grudge. They confessed freely and it was our first attempt. This will get easier.
The very first thing the boys did was head outside. They played until dinner and then finished up homework. It was kid's dish night. I expected the most resistance to come from the Trucker, but he really didn't seem to mind. We were sitting and visiting in the living room until he couldn't stand the level of laughter from the kitchen any longer. I held my breath and waited for the booming "what are you doing?" to come when he walked in there. Angel Baby was being 'helpful' again and there were a lot of bubbles floating around.
But it didn't come.
The next thing I know Dad is laughing saying "how do you like it??" and by the time I got in there, all three kids had bubbles on their heads. Not many dishes were washed.
Along with homework there was lego and reading involved. Dad didn't have to go to bed too early, so he even helped with our bedtime routine. He got very involved in tucking everyone in. Some squishing, some tickling and at least one upside down child appeared during the tuck in times. The Trucker didn't even turn on the TV as per normal when he went to bed.
It was a fantastic, fun, happy and FAST evening. I can't believe how quick it went without TV or video games numbing our brains. We allowed one radio to play, but even that got shut off early. Sadly, because of my internet outages, I had to try to get some work done before I went to bed after everyone else was asleep. But it was definitely worth the time unplugged.
Hopefully with a little practise, I will be able to shut everything down for the night. Including the laptop.
You are so brave to try this. I don't know if we could go unplugged unless we actually went somewhere without electricity and had no choice!
ReplyDeleteI am going to try this one day each week in the summer with my kids! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI may have to try this.
ReplyDeleteI have to be honest, I'm a bit afraid of summer holidays for this. I still need to work. But I'm looking at ways to combine both. Maybe just a few hours in the morning, then just 'on call' for the day and finish after the kids get to bed.
ReplyDeleteI am hugely relieved at how easy this was for my kids. I guess we aren't too far gone. I strongly encourage everyone to try it. We've had fun doing some of the silliest, most 'normal' things. Like dishes.
Good Luck! And come back, let me know how it went if you do try it!
Wendy, thank you for the comment you left on my blog today! You don't know how much it means to know my writing has inspired you to "shut it down" on Wednesdays! YOU inspire ME!! I love this post and can so relate to how you can find all kinds of "time" that you didn't have before once you shut off technology.
ReplyDeleteI really look forward to continuing on this journey with you! Thank you so much for letting me know you are out here doing amazing things like this!