Written by : Beri Gebrehiwot

Do you ever find yourself getting frustrated when your Wi-fi is slow or when it’s taking forever for your order to come at a restaurant?

It’s because we’re being wired to expect everything instantly- almost at the snap of a finger- thanks to technology. Although it may work that way with technology though, that is NOT how things work in real life, with relationships, with starting a business or just creating and growing anything of value.

In a world of touch screen devices and apps that can entertain, answer questions, direct our driving, plan and organize our lives, read books to us so we can multitask, deliver our dinner and connect us with the entire world, I want to be conscious about raising kids who are not being wired with the mindset of instant gratification. I fear that this mindset will only set them up for big failures in life- failures that can be avoided by giving them the right tools now. Also, it can help prevent anxiety, as they cultivate the skills to wait on things and take their time. 

Do we have any TV Free families here? We just went an entire weekend, Friday-Sunday without any movies or video games… and you know what that means- mom and dad are on 24/7 with activities, entertainment and redirecting them every time they ask to watch tv or have their devices.

Here’s how our weekend went.

Friday night, we carved our pumpkins together and made it a fun competition.

Saturday, we started the day with a long hike, came home and did a few YouTube art activities together, completed a 300 piece puzzle, did the dishes together, made dinner, played a family board game and put the kids down for bed. Surprisingly, they never asked about the tv or devices on this day.

A friend of mine told me about Art For Kids Hub, a YouTube channel that teaches kids how to draw their favorite characters, step by step in an easy and fun way. My son is hooked and can sit and draw for about an hour- which is a long time for him! Check it out and have fun drawing with your little ones, it’s a great time for bonding.

Sunday is our soccer day, luckily, and the rest of the day was spent relaxing at home and getting ready for the week. True story: my son grabbed a book from the car and took it in the store with him. He sat in the cart during shopping and read the entire time. That’s a first! Sunday was only day 3 with no devices and this happens! I was over the moon excited *que the confetti, please.

The goal of minimizing screen time is to get the kids to:

+be more independent with their own activities

+be comfortable with themselves without the need for instant gratification of tv or video games

+help them focus on a task for long periods

+feel accomplished about completing a long task

+think outside the box and get creative with having fun and enjoying themselves

I know this is a lot, but I’m hopeful that we will at least give them the right tools and foundation to be task oriented and focused individuals who can wait on things without feeling anxious.

I want to hear from you, Mamas! Are you TV Free or device free? How else do you instill in your kids the skills of focusing, being okay with boredom, being creative without devices, staying focused for long periods of time?