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This is what disconnecting from the technology looks like!

Interesting Topic

I really enjoyed reading about the topic of disconnecting from the Internet, your phone, and other technologies.  Mainly my thoughts went to my own three kids.  I’ve said for the last couple of years that I think they’re addicted, especially my daughter.  Since I don’t have Facebook or Instagram or some of the other things, it’s hard for me to understand why they are on their phones so much.  And I never feel like I’m missing out on things because I don’t have these social medias to check on. So, again, I don’t understand why they feel like they’re missing out.  I will say to my daughter, “What could you have possibly missed out on in the last 15 seconds?” It’s the constant notifications that keeps her distracted. The only time that I feel like I’m checking my phone so much is when my kids are gone. That’s when I reach for my phone to see if they’ve messaged me to let me know where they are or what they’re doing.

It is a rule at our house that all phones go on the kitchen counter at night by 9:30 during school.  However, during the summer time I’m not such a stickler about it.  Of course you can imagine how almost every night that my husband or I holler that it’s 9:30 the discourse (and eye rolling) that comes from the kids, especially from my daughter.  Apparently we are the only parents that do this and that apparently makes us very mean! I was thinking about this the whole time that I read Teens Disconnect from Technology  and wondered how my children would react.  I’ve decided that this is an experiment that I’m going to try. Another rule that we have at our house is no phones at the dinner table.  This is one that my kids do not mind following.  They love to talk about their day and what is coming up.  This is about the only time, especially during the school year, that we have time to catch up with what is going on in our lives.

When do I need to be mindful?

I need to be mindful when I get caught up in a game.  There are two games that I like to play on my phone and sometimes I do catch myself sitting for way too long to play them.  I catch myself not really paying attention to something that my husband or kids have said to me.  Other times that I catch myself getting caught up on the Internet is when I’m on Amazon or Pinterest.  It is easy, at times, to spend too much time looking through these. Usually this happens about now when summer is winding down and school is just around the corner.  I love to look through teacher stuff or books to buy to fill my classroom library.  Yes, these are professional things I’m doing, but it doesn’t mean that I should sacrifice face to face time. It makes me feel terrible when I do this.  I can’t imagine how I would feel if I did this all the time!  Simplify the Internet was my favorite article from this week’s readings.  I loved all of the strategies and I am planning on having my daughter read it.