Yesterday morning I looked around the family room at my kids.
The tv was on but no one was watching it. I wish it was because they were in the middle of a blinking game or drawing shapes and letters on each others’ backs or writing a letter of apology to their Mom for their part in ruining my body, forever.
Sadly, that’s not what was happening.
They each had a different electronic device while also looking over each others’ shoulders at the other person’s device. Ironically, there was a commercial for Lens Crafters airing in the background. I needed them to Shut. It. Down.
I made a general, family announcement with my megaphone and wizard wand, “I hereby declare this house free of electronics!!!! For one hour”
The girls all reacted differently.
Hanna collapsed on the family room ottoman the way you might see someone in a movie hearing the news her entire family had just been killed in a plane crash. Her arms dangled over the edge, just brushing the floor and as she sobbed, her shoulders became heavy and eventually she slid on her head onto the ground. A life not worth living.
Chloe choking back tears, “Well can we at least have a pear?!”
Chloe, I’m not denying you the basic necessities of life, I’m simply asking you to turn off your gadgets for the next hour and just play, like kids. Did you forget you guys were kids?
Chloe again, “Okay, I’ll turn off the ipod. Let’s just watch a show then.”
Ellie sighed and walked over to the book shelf jammed with unplayed with toys and pulled out a tie quilt she got for Christmas last year. She had tied 8 of the 48 pre-cut, felt squares on Christmas Day and then opened an Ipad and that was the end of the tie-quilt. Her Ipad would have an app to keep her warm.
She said, “Well, I guess I could get to work on this blanket.”
It’s as though some switch triggered a time machine taking her back to a moment when she enjoyed other things in life. She needed that push to turn off minecraft so she could be free to look around the room and realize it wasn’t made of stacks of imaginary blocks with the odd, random sheep.
We walked to the end of our street and the girls looked around at houses and commented, “Have they always had a stone fountain?” Yep, all eleven years we’ve lived her. Have you really never noticed?
Their eyes were open for the first time in ages.
We made it to the end of our street and I suggested they play a game.
“Let’s play ‘Catch Me If You Can!’”
“No, let’s play Cross Canada!”
Finally, progress.
“Mom, if we play a game can our punishment be over?”
