6/4 - It's been about a month since I disconnected incoming media (internet and satellite television - not cell phones or radios) from our home. It's been interesting.....
I still have a few channels with infomercials coming in. I could disconnect the boxes and have a black screen but then I would not have access to the view of earth from space accompanied by classical music. For now, I will leave it. We've cheated and watched a health show or two but over all, the television never comes on. I thought I'd miss a couple of shows and, in particular, the news but I don't miss the shows. I do miss the news occasionally. Like many, I've been praying for the
oil to stop spewing into the ocean and I have to wait until I turn on the radio, go to an internet cafe or go to the library to get an update. Still, I am not uninformed and I don't really mind the scheduled news brief.
I had a weak moment (or maybe it was a flash of sanity) last week and decided to call it quits. I've got work to do and thought I should make our house 'hot' again. I even made the call to reconnect but alas, I woke up the next day to find unauthorized use of video games. Come to find out the games have been used in bed at night (after the lights were out) and I now know why some people are tired when I wake them in the morning (after a full 9 hours of sleep mind you)!!! I won't mention any names..... ;) I realize this is typical childhood behavior; but, this behavior becomes dangerous when the technology can take them, unwittingly, into ugly places. Hence, my resolve returned full force.
It's difficult, though. I admit it and when I think about my
delicious account, my
prezi account, my
wiki, my blog, and resources such as
Worldcat I get withdrawals and wish I had access. Fortunately my
Endnote library is FULL of articles I need to read. The side benefit is that my lack of internet access at home prompts me to take care of items I am often distracted from.
For everyone else, feelings are mixed. My husband still says he likes it. The peace is nice, the organization is nice and the lack of negotiating media usage is pure bliss....my daughter wishes that our home was 'connected'. She doesn't like the inconvenience of having to drive to access internet. BUT, she does appreciate the lack of 'arguing' (her words) we are experiencing. Her brothers' nightly negotiations are not missed! The youngest says he hates not having media.....he misses playing Webkinz with his friend. My other son does not like it either. He misses interactions with friends on XBox. He has discovered that he can buy a cable for the XBox that will allow him to connect to a laptop so some social gaming may be coming in the near future.
It's interesting that the negotiations for time with tech tools was such an ever present occurrence in our home. I like to think I can manage a home and back and forth banter is kept to a minimum when I make a decision. I see this isn't the case with technology and wonder if the draw to the tool is the problem or is it my parenting? Sigh......
Sometimes I look forward to August (when we reconnect) and other times, I have second thoughts. I really enjoy the peace and the talks we have at night.
