Screen Time

I am frustrated by the amount of screen time the kids and I are occupying. It seems as if someone is constantly on something, and I cannot stand it. I am just as bad as the kids as I love to browse other's blogs, catch up on email and Facebook, check my smut celebrity gossip sites, pay bills, etc... It seems like the more time I spend plugged in more I want to be plugged in, and it is getting to the point of insanity.

I am a big believer that electronics pull the creative juices right out of our brains. In my house I can tell when the kids have been on their ipods, Kindle, Ipad, Xbox for too long. They become crabby and "bored" more easily. They are not as nice to each other and cannot think outside of the box.

I often feel like the computer (for me) and the Ipad and Xbox (for the kids) are a drug. The more we are on those devices the more we want to be on them and our mood is altered after extended use.  I could read my blogs all day long. There are some really awesome bloggers out there who really inspire me. BUT being online for a long time makes me feel like garbage because I know that while I am sitting and having screen time my life is passing me by and with it the lives of my 4 children.  I think that for me the blogs that I visit are an escape from my day. They are my break and my inspiration to try and be better, but when my break becomes longer and longer each day, multiple times a day - something is wrong.

Quite honestly, if it were up to me I would not have a TV or any other electronics besides the computer in this house, but I am not the only one who has a say in this family and I think that my husband would revolt if I got rid of all of the electronics. If I could go back to before I had kids I would have never introduced the television or video games to them. I would have learned to give up those things myself so that we could enjoy our family time in a much different way other than being camped out watching Monday night football or House Hunters or whatever else we watch "as a family" (minus Sarah because she cannot see the TV and just does a craft while we sit mindlessly in front of the TV - this is a whole other reason to stop being on all of this crap. I feel terrible for even admitting that we still watch TV because she cannot see it.)

You would think that with our family's dynamics (i.e. Sarah's vision issues) this screen time issue would be a non-issue, but it is one of the ugly parts of our family. I hate to admit that watching TV or being on the computer or video games takes precedence over Sarah a lot of the time. It is not the kids fault (and I am all for kids taking responsibility when they are wrong - trust me.) It is mine because I allowed the electronics to get so out of control in the first place. No one goes on anything without my consent, so I alone am responsible for this mess. Anytime my child is on an electronic is because I have given permission for them to do so.

I know that most families do not seem to have screen time issues either because they have never really allowed their kids to get into them or because they don't see video games as a problem and allow unlimited access to them. But, as with almost everything in our lives, we are living our life right in the middle. One foot in the - let's get rid of them all! The other foot in the - but they are a reality and norm in everyday life so just learn to incorporate them better! I cannot seem to find a peaceful compromise.

I have struggled with this issue in the past and cannot seem to find a good and lasting solution. But this issue is now out of control and beyond what I am comfortable with, so I need to make finding one a priority. Beginning. Right. Now.