My son woke up vomiting in the middle of the night last night. After a mammoth and most unpleasant clean-up exercise (mattress, hair, pillows, chunks) I asked him if he needed anything. With an intensely grave nod he said "Yes Mummy" (token sob) "Peppa Peeeeeg".
Hmmmm. 1am. Request denied.
On waking this morning, I asked if he was feeling better.
Him: (Serious face) "No Mummy".
Me: "Would you like some water darling?"
Him: "No Mummy" (token sob). "iPad inna sittin room Mummy".
Hmmmm. 5.30am. Request granted.
Judge me if you like.
By 7am, he'd watched several Peppas, a couple of Peter Rabbits and a few Octonauts - "to da launch bay Mummmaaaayyyyyyy!" and this is already way more than we'd usually let him watch in a day. And its only 7am. And I have both kids at home all day. Both sick. Can't go out. I was planning to give up coffee today for 6 days but I know that after last night's desperate lack of sleep and a full-on day ahead, it would be utterly senseless, self-punishing and non-ZEN-inducing to choose that.
So, with a little trepidation I decide we will give up all screentime for the next 6 hours. No TV, no iPad, no lapper, no phone. No predictable post-TV tantrums and no manic Octonaut behaviour. I hope.
I texted Jones, told him I'd be off the grid and then put everything i-related out of sight.
Findings:
Now for the rating for this challenge....
This was a valuable exercise and I think I will definitely repeat it. Time-bound challenges work well for me and 6 hours was pretty much perfect for my first foray. It seems it's almost just a habitual thought process and behaviour that takes me online rather than actual true need. Addictive checking of inboxes/ newsfeeds/ headlines is a relatively unconscious but default habit. It sucks my time, attention and engagement in what's going on around me. It felt liberating knowing I didn't have the option of losing myself online for a few moments. It's pretty tragic when you put it like that.
As far as the kids go, I don't think any parent feels good about sticking their child in front of the screen and possibly most of us do it a little more that we would like. However, it does have its practical (and sanity-saving) uses. I believe this exercise could be something we agree to do as a family more often and we could see a real benefit from - to disconnect, go off the grid and focus on the here and now with one another. It would certainly be a better habit to nurture as the kids are growing up and they start getting more sucked into technology.
So, a short exercise but loaded with positive ZEN vibes and loads of potential...
ZEN-giving-properties = 6 out of 10
...and for the record. Nobody had tried to contact me in the 6 hours!
Octonauts to the launch bay Mummmmaaayyyyy!
Hmmmm. 1am. Request denied.
On waking this morning, I asked if he was feeling better.
Him: (Serious face) "No Mummy".
Me: "Would you like some water darling?"
Him: "No Mummy" (token sob). "iPad inna sittin room Mummy".
Hmmmm. 5.30am. Request granted.
Judge me if you like.
By 7am, he'd watched several Peppas, a couple of Peter Rabbits and a few Octonauts - "to da launch bay Mummmaaaayyyyyyy!" and this is already way more than we'd usually let him watch in a day. And its only 7am. And I have both kids at home all day. Both sick. Can't go out. I was planning to give up coffee today for 6 days but I know that after last night's desperate lack of sleep and a full-on day ahead, it would be utterly senseless, self-punishing and non-ZEN-inducing to choose that.
So, with a little trepidation I decide we will give up all screentime for the next 6 hours. No TV, no iPad, no lapper, no phone. No predictable post-TV tantrums and no manic Octonaut behaviour. I hope.
I texted Jones, told him I'd be off the grid and then put everything i-related out of sight.
Findings:
- I got loads of STUFF done! There was me thinking I didn't have enough time in the day
- At frequent points in the day I thought about many important things I needed to look up/ do online - this would normally see me go straight to the phone or computer and probably get sucked in for a few minutes at least. Because I couldn't, the moment just passed and in fact, it turns out the important things could wait or were actually more nice-to-do's than need-to-do's.
- Surprisingly, I did not think about missing Facebook or email or text once. Not once.
- My mind felt clearer without the day being peppered with periodic digital vacuums
- Without the draw of the TV, my little fella just pottered about - "fixing" his baby sister "open wide please"; playing with his pirate ship and helping me make biscuits and do the washing. Not even one request for the iPad or TV (this is unusual and could be an anomaly)
- It was enjoyable to just "be" with the kids: no external stimulus, all on the same wavelength rather than locked in individual screen-coma(s)
- The day was altogether more relaxed than usual (again, possibly an anomaly due to illness)
- At the designated end of the 6 hours, just as I was contemplating seeing if anyone had tried to contact me, my son followed me into the kitchen and vomited 3 times over my feet. Following the ensuing clean-up operation (3 bath towels, shower, mop, knife & tea towel between the floor boards to remove sick) I was grateful to be able to turn to Peppa Pig for some much needed downtime.
Now for the rating for this challenge....
This was a valuable exercise and I think I will definitely repeat it. Time-bound challenges work well for me and 6 hours was pretty much perfect for my first foray. It seems it's almost just a habitual thought process and behaviour that takes me online rather than actual true need. Addictive checking of inboxes/ newsfeeds/ headlines is a relatively unconscious but default habit. It sucks my time, attention and engagement in what's going on around me. It felt liberating knowing I didn't have the option of losing myself online for a few moments. It's pretty tragic when you put it like that.
As far as the kids go, I don't think any parent feels good about sticking their child in front of the screen and possibly most of us do it a little more that we would like. However, it does have its practical (and sanity-saving) uses. I believe this exercise could be something we agree to do as a family more often and we could see a real benefit from - to disconnect, go off the grid and focus on the here and now with one another. It would certainly be a better habit to nurture as the kids are growing up and they start getting more sucked into technology.
So, a short exercise but loaded with positive ZEN vibes and loads of potential...
ZEN-giving-properties = 6 out of 10
...and for the record. Nobody had tried to contact me in the 6 hours!
Octonauts to the launch bay Mummmmaaayyyyy!