Screen Overload Part 1

I don’t know about you, but I do not like to hear my kids tell me that they are bored. :) I actually don’t hear that too much anymore because my children know that if they tell me that they are bored, they will most likely find themselves pushing a broom, or putting away dishes. :) I always tell them that if they use their creativity they will never be bored. I really believe that creative kids just don’t get bored. Although, I am seeing a change in what kids spend their time doing.

So many kids spend their days in front of screens..... Computer screens, hand-held game screens, TV game screens, TV screens. They are so used to being entertained & amused that they don’t get the chance to exercise their creativity muscles anymore. It is all done for them. I hate to admit it, but that is what has been going on in my home this past week. My kids have been sick all week & they haven’t felt like doing much. Sadly, they have felt like being inundated with screens. :( I am ashamed to tell you that I have just allowed it because they have been sick & to be honest, I have just been overwhelmed. I also caught what they have, so I have felt like lying around, too. After my lazy week, I decided that we need to make a decision to get screens under control in our home. I warned the girls that we will be having a screen free week starting on Monday. They were horrified. I think they are planning on reporting me to Children Protective services. No TV, computer, or screens for an entire week has to be considered abuse, right? :)

Don’t tell my kids, but I am truly looking forward to it. I am excited to get to spend more time interacting with them, rather than having to compete with screens. :) I will try to blog each night to let you know how it is going. The girls are OK with this as long as that is all I am doing on the computer. I have promised them, so I will be sure to keep my promise. They are excited about this blog being a sort of scrapbook for the year, so they want things we do to be documented. :) I am thinking of having the girls also blog
(on paper) about it from their perspectives. I will share their notes,with their permission. :) It will be a fun assignment for them. I think we will spend time talking about what kids use to do before screens existed. =O

I have come up with a list of “screen-free” activities that I will post in another post. :) This one is getting too long. :) I would love it if anyone wants to join us. Let me know. It will be fun to do it together. :)