E-children

I think that I have e-children. It is curious to me that if they aren't plugged in to some sort of digital technology, then they are "bored." I remember my childhood (and it wasn't really all that long ago) and we actually dug in the dirt, rode bikes, collected bugs and rocks, and walked to the 7-11 to buy hubba bubba and slurpees. My children feel that they might turn to dust if the leave the front door in the daylight. Maybe they are vampire e-children.

Here was my latest solution.

We cut down screen time to 30 minutes a day while the sun is out. I had put enabled restrictions on their ipods, and password protected computers in the house. I actually disabled the internet 5 out of 7 days a week on the family computer, but that did not work for obvious reasons.

With all of this, I still was coming up with them struggling. It was an awful fight, all the time, and I realized that my only recourse was to remove it from them. The more I restricted them, the less they believed that I had a reason. They only thought I wanted to punish them. I realized that what I really needed to do was to teach them self-control and balance in their lives.

As I have struggled to figure out how to balance the tech part of our lives, I have come up with a few solutions. If you work from home on anything, it involves a computer. If you work in any sort of office setting, you use a computer. If you are a student, you use a computer. We even study scriptures on the computer.

So, my new plan of attack? Embrace technology, and work harder on teaching my children how to cope with the bombardment and enticement that technology presents. This may seem daunting, and impossible. However, I have decided that I will live by these few rules regarding technology:

1. I accept that technology exists, and will be a big part of the modern world in which we participate. We are not cloistered monks. We must learn intrinsic motivation to keep ourselves unspotted from the world and its technology.

2. I do not accept that my children cannot learn self control and mastery when given a temptation. They can learn, and I will not give up teaching them until they mature enough to understand.

3. I will set up consistent rules for them regarding technology, and I will also set up real and natural consequences for breaking those rules. These rules will apply even if grandma or a babysitter are here. (or Dad...we'll work on that one.)

4. I will be kind, loving, and consistent in my dealings with my children so they trust me and my judgment, and will be able to come to me if trouble arises.

5. I will constantly monitor their usage of the internet to protect them.

6. I will teach them the rules of engagement in online forums, netiquette, ethical research, and balance between the e-world and the real world.

So, we are trying this for the next few weeks. Now that school is out for the summer, we turn our home into a little social laboratory and training ground. I'll post my progress on this every Tuesday. On Tuesdays my mom (grandma) comes and spends the day with my kids and I work. It is fun for them because they get a playdate with grandma, and I get facetime with my employees. Win-win. It is the day in which our grand plans don't always come to fruition because I'm not here to slave drive. So, its a perfect day to check in on how the conditioning of my kids is coming.

Viva el verano! (long live the summer!)