I'm serious.
Fall has officially taken over, with crisp air in the morning and the smell of fireplaces at night. Between football, field hockey and soccer I'm pretty much constantly on the go, but we fit in family time like it's our job.
Well, as parents, it IS our job. So much time gets lost looking at screens, I often wonder if people realize that if they put their phone down, they would find something else to do.
Kids as well.
Have you ever looked up and everyone in the room is on a screen? It's horrible. We're right next to people and we're not connecting. It's easy to see the difference out in public, but in our own homes we're not connecting. Entire families can be home but everyone is on a device in a different room.
I remember when "screen time" was the television. Everyone was worried about how much television their kid watched. Now kids are on screens all the time, with never-ending access to people and information. Family dinner is a lost art in many homes. I work in a school and I see first hand that kids today don't have the coping skills they had years ago. They also don't have the self esteem.
They need to know something? Google it. They want to talk to a friend? They "snap" them.
Remember when you had to get on your bike if you wanted the neighborhood news?
Not anymore.
We all need to make an effort to get our kids away from screens. Connect, make memories and teach them lessons about life and friendship. Teach them how to bake, how to clean, how to bank and pay bills.
Not only will they learn important life skills, they gain independence. Which leads to confidence. Which leads to a better sense of self and self esteem.
Over the years I've made an effort to make family time the most important time in our house. We get around the table for dinner and we take walks on nice afternoons. Am I on top of everything all the time? No way. Not even close. I get frustrated and I feel like I can do better many days.
I'm guilty of allowing more "screen time" than I care to admit. The upside is I'm aware and I'm doing better every day. I see now that the worst thing I can give is more electronics, and the best thing I can give is my time. Kids want and need our time more than anything else we could ever give them.
Wishing everyone more family time this week!
