Drop that Phone

My friend, Nicole, sent me a food-for-thought article from The New York Times: "Resisting the Siren Call of the Screen: 3 Books Offer Ways to Cut the Cord, If Only Briefly" http://nyti.ms/15XcUhn.
After reading it, I had a good dose of Mama Guilt, thinking about my phone habits--especially around Lainey and Nick.

I keep my phone near when I get home with the kids, so Mark can text with his ETA from work or let me know he's missed his train stop and we need to come get him (I hope that was a one-time thing). Fair enough. A phone is meant for communication afterall. But, the problem is, if my phone is near me, I find myself sneaking peeks at email, Instagram, Facebook, blogs, etc. I probably spend between 10 - 15 culmulative minutes between the hours for 6-8pm looking at my phone. Not such a big deal, right? Except I have less than two hours of time with my kids each night--and much of that time is spent prepping their food, changing their diapers and clothes, and giving them baths--which means much of that time is spent cajoling or arguing with Lainey (Nick still lets me do as I please with him). Our time together playing or "just being" is very limited, so robbing even five minutes of precious face time with them is really too much.

Also, the constant web-surfing and email-checking is not a habit I want to instill in Lainey and Nick. I want them to value personal interacations and activities that require their imagination instead of a touchscreen. I want them to be comfortable with quiet, idle time, instead of needing constant entertainment and stimulation. Actually, I want to be comfortable with quiet, idle time again. I don't remember the last time I just sat quietly with my thoughts. If I want my kids to resist the "siren call of the screen," I need to set the example and resist that call myself.

So, starting tonight, I'm putting my phone and computer time on lockdown. If my babes are with me, the laptop stays shut and the phone is for calls and LIMITED texting only--and only with a very small set of people (if you don't share a bloodline with my children, you're going to have to wait until after 8:00pm ). I don't think a few hours of digital-free time will prove too difficult during the week, but the weekend will be tough. We'll see how I do...