How It Went

On Day One of the TV Turnoff Week, my saving grace was getting up before the little boys and being dressed. So as to not suffer too much temptation, I piled them into the van to run some errands. First stop was the library..."sure, we can do puzzles and puppets for a while"...what else did I need to do? Then we took clothing to a charity drop-off bin and on to grocery shopping...a nice leisurely time because I didn't want to get home too quickly.

After getting home we listened to music, danced, and played musical instruments. We then went outside and rode scooters...yes, even I was on the Razor scooter...what else did I have to do? Will went to take his nap at noon because at this point he was exhausting my energy and the TV temptation was getting strong. I checked email (my "rules" said I could check it twice a day) and read. He was very cranky when he woke up at 1:30...how am I going to make it? Snacks, stories, rocking, and endless rounds of playing with Little People. Mike came home at 4:30 and I crashed into a deep sleep for an hour!

After dinner was delightful. All of us played outside. Mike mowed the lawn. I read a new book while lounging in the hammock. The children listened to Rascal Flatts outside while performing a rodeo. Sam (my 9 year old) says, "I think kids need more exercise...like an hour every afternoon after homework." And the constant saying of John (my 5 year old) was "I just want to be creative!"

By the end of the night I was tired and drank some decaf coffee and read on the couch. And I no longer had the desire for my second email check! The electronic quietness was getting addictive.

The rest of the week was mostly smooth sailing. The biggest change I saw almost immediately (like the evening of Day 2) was that our relationships were peaceful. The sibling squabbles actually DISAPPEARED! This was a totally unexpected gift. All of us were so calm and happy without the electronic interference that fries our nerves and patience with each other. That was amazing. The hardest time of the day was after Will's naps. He is a bear when he awakens and that was an incredibly difficult experience. Other than that, going unplugged with the TV was relatively painless and definitely something we are thinking about doing once a week every month or at minimum, once a week per quarter.

I definitely missed my computer time and blog reading. I didn't realize how much wonderful inspiration I get for parenting and creativity and "good living" through the Internet. I have however decided to not have that time in the mornings but to wait until nap time in the afternoon. It really distracts me from my home and the children when I use it in the mornings and that was a good thing to realize. I also enjoyed reading "Last Child in the Woods" this week which was a wonderful go-along with turning off the electronics. Very confirming to limit TV viewing with the little ones.

So is the TV on right now? Yes! :) I have had a throwing up 5 year old all morning and a toddler with head-to-toe diarrhea. I am running around doing laundry, dishes, and keeping things under control in case of further stomach madness. And stealing a few minutes for my blogging and sanity :) But we have decided that under normal circumstances we will allow a show for Will after his nap, and 1/2 hour computer time for my two older children...and a weekly sprinkling of movies. Mike and I won't be missing Survivor and LOST again anytime soon...it's just not as exciting watching it taped. But we loved the other six evenings of quiet, reading, talking, and getting to bed early.

For us, it's a balancing act. Using electronics responsibly and intentionally instead of irresponsibly and reactively. Going unplugged is a wonderful discipline to incorporate into our lives as is any form of "fasting"...it clears the mind, opens the heart, and expands creativity in new ways. Good stuff.

And now back to our regular programming...

TV Turnoff Week

I fall in and out of love with television. There have been seasons where we have watched no TV. And seasons where vegging in front of the TV at night was a wonderful way to chill and relax. We opted out of American Idol this year and it's actually been nice to have two nights of the week not consumed with it all. We still hold sacred our Thursday night line-up of Survivor and Lost and that won't end any time soon. Other than that, Mike and I aren't much into TV these days.

But it's a whole 'nother story with my almost 2 year old. We have free cable (our high-speed connection only works if we have cable so they give it to us free) and man, is it ever easy to use Noggin or Playhouse Disney as a babysitter. Little Will is a handful and gets into every and anything at cyclone speed. The TV offers me the time to have him sit completely still and almost comatose while I get dressed, do dishes, laundry, and of course email and blog-reading. And when he gets nice and grumpy later in the day, the sounds of Little Bill calm my little Will right away and all is nice again. But I find myself using it more and more as a way to not have to deal with his feisty-ness or to not have to find something creative to do or to not have to read another book...it tempts me to escape mothering and nurturing and to escape to isolation.

And it can also happen when I am weary with all the children's sibling squabbling and grumpy attitudes. I can easily just say "turn on a movie" or "yes, go play a computer game". This isn't wrong per se but often I just don't want to deal with any of it. Even as I write this, Will is fussing and wanting to climb up into my lap and I just wish he could go be entertained.

So recently I have been thinking that I would like to curb some of the TV viewing by my younger two during the morning hours and to curb the computer time by my older two during the afternoon hours. And to curb my own computer addiction that shows its face at random hours every day. So I stumbled upon this TV Turnoff week and thought it would be fun. Well, maybe not fun, but interesting to say the least and good for us for sure. We need a break from being plugged-in...to re-find other ways of recharging, to use our minds for creativity, and to be our own entertainment. I need to take responsibility to take care of the sibling squabbles, to help Will when he is grumpy, and to be more present and interactive with my children instead of being distracted and ignoring them (which happens when I am computer-focused).

So here are my personal rules:

1. No TV for the week. Now my husband isn't sure he'll let go of Thursday night even with my offer of taping the shows. But at least for me and kids, the TV is off (including of course all movies and videos!)

2. No computer games for the week for the older children and no web-surfing for me. Ouch-ola. I will check email twice a day in the morning and at night.

Will I make it through this?!? I don't know. If the going gets too rough, I won't beat myself up too much. But it's good to have goals and it's only for a week. And I bet good things will happen as a result.

Here's to being unplugged.