Screen Free Week at our house….didn’t go the way I expected.
I was excited to participate in it. I love the idea of a digital detox….But, since our kids usually see just one show each day, I didn’t expect it to make a huge difference in our home. I expected to have calmer, more peaceful kids (which I got), but I also expected to get way behind on all those not-kid-friendly tasks I usually try (quite hurriedly!) to knock out during my 30 minutes of “kid-free” time each day. I have to admit, I was dreading the week after Screen Free Week, when I’d have to catch up on all those chores, un-made phone calls and un-answered emails!
But something miraculous happened in the middle of all that screenless fun. The week ended, and you know what? I’m not behind on my weekly chores or jobs. Laundry isn’t piled up in some room waiting to be put away. Mold didn’t take over the kitchen sink and I didn’t get fired for my terrible work ethic. Somehow, I had more time and got more accomplished than I normally do, and felt much less stress about getting it done. I still played with the kids, and we had great fun….
But they also began to play without me…peacefully…for hours on end.
Several times during the week, I was astonished to look at a clock and realize I had not heard from either of my children in a couple of hours. I could see them playing right outside the window, but they were so engrossed in what they were doing, and really getting along – getting along so well they didn’t need a mama hovering nearby to help diffuse arguments.
They also didn’t need anyone to give them ideas about how to play.
I try to make it a habit not to ‘entertain’ the kids all the time. I believe in giving them lots of opportunities to solve their own boredom with creativity – but during Screen Free Week, I hardly had the opportunity to push this little soap box of mine at all. They were so tapped into their own creativity, they were no longer coming to me to ask me what they could do, and they completely forgot to ask if they could “watch a show” (a question I’m used to fielding 2 or 3 times a day.)
We still made a point to play together, but it was almost always the case that I was simply invited in to join a game they had invented or go on a scavenger hunt they had created.
There were strings tied to sticks with magnets, a fishing game for metal objects under the bed. There were index cards set strategically around the house with arrows pointing me to a hidden treasure. There were mud pies….Oh, there were mud pies! It’s not that these things aren’t normal at our house, they are. But this week, that they happened with such ease. There were none of those moments when I had to explain that we would not be watching a show and it was time to think of something else to do.
I was right about one thing with regards to the week – I knew my kids’ well-being (and therefore their behavior) would improve…
But I was completely surprised that the week also might make life easier for me.
Did anyone else experience this? Did you find the week to be more or less stressful? I’d love to hear your stories.
Thanks very much to our friends at Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood for sponsoring this great event.
Traci lives in the Austin, TX area with her husband and two little boys. Traci enjoys teaching a small part-time homeschool group, and working with Simplicity Parenting as coordinator for outreach. Her family loves time in nature, tent camping and hiking, and making music.