Nannies and Families

PART 2 Taking Time Out From Technology

If you tried any of the activities from Part 1 of our series how did you fare? Did you have happy children and spouse that joyfully embraced a night without technology? Did they willingly engage in whatever activity you picked out? OR, was there a bit of struggle, eye rolling (yes, from your spouse as well), grumpiness or just plain obtusivity (I truly think we can make that a word).

Don’t give up just because the first time was a rough start. There are enough studies that show that screen time be addictive and you have to help your family withdraw and detox just a little bit. Did you also find that there was a gradual reconnecting as a family? Remember, you are creating memories. Yes, the pictures might end up on social media of the silly string fight you had after that delicious dinner you made, but the laughter and the memories are stored in your memory bank and the memory banks of your children. You are literally investing in to their future.

Here are some new ideas to try. It doesn’t matter how rough the start might be, it matters that you end with laughter and emotional reconnections with those people that matter the most.

Take a Walk/Hike together – listen to all the stories that your children start to share. Walking and talking go hand in hand. Bonus: boundless energy gets used.

Pick up a new board game or pull out a favorite card game. My 9 year old daughter and I just pulled out the board game called Sequence. It blends board game and card game.

Go to the nursery (think plants, not babies). Take some time to walk around and explore all the trees and flowers and shrubs. Pick out a plant, some seeds, even a small tree. Take it home, plant it together. Watch it grow along with your children. Don’t forget to take a picture the day you plant it, then each milestone event in your family’s life that special plant plays a special role.

Feed your love for adventure – go to the roller rink and show your kids your signature move. If you aren’t a huge fan of rolling around in circles, try running around in circles playing flag football. Family flag football makes for some fabulous holiday memories.

Find an older neighbor or family friend and rake their leaves, cut their grass, prune bushes. Don’t forget to take some cookies and sit down and listen to a story.