Results From Our Electronic Fast
As I posted a few weeks ago, my family decided to fast from TV, video games, and the computer for an entire week. We did this as an experiment really. I wanted to see how it would effect our every day life. Much to my surprise, we LOVED it!! Our days at home were calm and loving. Joshua did his school work with care because he wasn’t rushing to get to his DS or a cartoon. When Jesse got home from school each day, we played games, they went outside, and they helped me with dinner. At night, after we put the boys in bed, Josh and I would read, side by side in bed, or talk for an hour or two before going to sleep…MUCH earlier than normal. One of the neatest things I found, for myself, was that I was WAY more productive during the day. I had nothing to distract me. I wasn’t being pulled to the computer to check on facebook or read all of my favorite blogs. I wasn’t tempted to turn the TV on while I folded clothes, so I just moved on to the next thing when I finished folding the clothes on my bed. It was amazing to me how much I got done each and every day without TV and computer. Honestly, the boys never even asked about it after the first day. And now, when our day is going rough, or the boys aren’t getting along, I tell them, “Okay, TV and computer are going off for the rest of the day.” And it’s almost like a relief to them! They don’t complain or whine; they just accept it and move on to the next thing. I don’t have a clue why the television has an effect on how they behave toward one another, but for my kids, it does! For the most part, our TV stays off during the week, especially during the day. Josh and I usually watch about an hour or an hour and a half at night after the boys are in bed and our favorite shows come on, but for the most part, we’re trying to live without it.
If you’re struggling with your kids’ behavior, especially towards one another, give this a shot! You’ll be amazed at how their imaginations run wild and how well they can play together when they’re all they’ve got! Haha! Let me know if you try it and what you learn from it.
~audrey