Four children, ages spanning 13 years, being entertained with the SAME activity never occurs without screeching whines and stubborns "I WON'T do that." These rare events nearly drive me to inflict various methods of Chinese torture (not to myself!) Driven to the brink-- not dove over the edge----YET---this just MIGHT be the month where my dearest and nearest friends take a trip to visit me in an institution for the "motherly insane" where hundreds of nurturing types are detoxing from their children!
• Particularly challenging is another emerging adult WITHOUT an exploding bank account, nor the desire to listen before he enters the phase of life where Mom is not around to tell him to not wear socks with flip flops. Now THAT is noise!!!! • The MOST used activity that lessens the exposure to decibel maximizing screeches produced by all four being together involves some sort of large, glowing screen with moving persons, places, or things mixed with difficult hand-eye coordination movements. The screen provides HOURS of brain-sucking, quiet time with no "connecting" except with one's pounding headache. • I am guilty of taking the easy way out and letting the children spend hours with this entertainment (modern moms KNOW what I am talking about).Until Now.
We are taking the Peter Walsh, "Stripped Down Family" challenge.
1. NO cell phones
2. NO electronics/TV/I-pod/Video Games
3. Prepare healthy meals/shop together
4. Clean and Organize the house
5. "A Little Bit of Lovin"--Must hug and say I LOVE you and offer praise every day.
The featured family had all their "devices" locked in a vault for ONE week and although we aren't asking our children to relinquish their beloved cell phones and I-pods for this long, we wanted them to understand the concept of reconnecting with each other by participating in family activities.
THE first day into the challenge........and "fighting: is what the kids chose to do WITHOUT their "screen" time.
...and this is how much we cleaned and organized the toy room together.
It turns out that by turning off all these electronic devices, that the house is A LOT NOISIER and that the toys get dumped out and played with and it takes me SCREAMING at them to pick up the toys and clean their mess!
THE first day into the challenge........and "fighting: is what the kids chose to do WITHOUT their "screen" time.
...and this is how much we cleaned and organized the toy room together.
It turns out that by turning off all these electronic devices, that the house is A LOT NOISIER and that the toys get dumped out and played with and it takes me SCREAMING at them to pick up the toys and clean their mess!
Does Peter Walsh have kids?!!!!
A recent article in the Seattle Times offers parents some more solutions.
A recent article in the Seattle Times offers parents some more solutions.
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