Unplug me!

Every morning I ask my kids if they had any dreams.  We always make time for dream talk during morning snuggles or breakfast.  Today my son told me a dream that was way too real for me.  He told me about how there was a tornado coming and he was trying to get my attention but I wasn't listening.  His words were, "You were too busy because...you were on your phone."  Nobody wins mother of the year for being on their phone too much.  It's not like I was helping clients or closing deals or doing anything that could help our family.  Sure, I look up events and find grocery deals and coupons but that's not the point. 

I've been sucked into a handheld world.  But it doesn't really matter what screen size you use.  The tv screen, the computer screen.  I bark at my husband for gaming but I'm raising dragons and following people on Facebook that I won't speak to until the second coming.  I grew up thinking-knowing!-video games are bad.  I played on the computer though.  And I'll never forget the first time I played World of Warcraft.  If you watch Big Bang Theory you may remember the episode where Sheldon introduces Penny to WOW.  That was me.  Christian got my account all set up and I made a character and was whisked away into an imaginary wonderland the size of a computer screen.  I didn't surface for 24 hours.  I did not eat, I hardly drank anything.  I played through the night and ended up making myself sick! 

Fast forward 6 years later.  I don't play WOW simply because I know what I would do and I have kids to keep alive, let alone myself.  It's in my retirement plan.  To travel the world...of warcraft.  Really, I do want to travel so we'll see how much WOW I actually get to play.  Technology will be so advanced by then we'll probably travel to Mars for a weekend to play it for real.  Like futuristic paintball.  Hmmm...

I digress.  Now I have a husband who is an unrepentant gamer and, honestly, as long as he keeps it in check there's nothing wrong with it.  We have also spawned a small 4-year-old gamer and while part of me wants to tell you how awesome he is at it, another part wants to unplug the whole darn contraption and run him outside.  I have books on how children should be outside.  I have a degree that screams "His brain is going to turn to mush!"  Not to mention the majority (it seems) of Christians that have deemed it sinful.  (They do go outside every day but I wonder at the quality and quantity of it.  We went firefly hunting last night!)   

There has to be a middle ground though.  Because Tobin is amazing at games.  I tried to play Rayman with him and he pretty much played the whole thing by himself and just kept resurrecting me so that I could be with him.  I have looked around at different articles, so many and it all comes down to balance.  It is more interactive than tv.  Games require problem solving skills and fine motor coordination that he could use one day to be a surgeon or musician.  The one thing I could watch out for is if your son has ADHD.  I've read that it can become very addicting.  The instant rewards, the dopamine release.  It hooks them and they become obsessed with the cycle.  And no kid needs to sit in one spot for a long period of time anyway.  It's tempting to plop them in front of the tv to get something done, believe me, I know. 

We've made a deal in my house though.  For every 20 minutes of game play, there are 20 minutes of outside time or reading or art.  And of course, once I get them outside it's always longer than 20 minutes.  And who wants to quit five minutes into an art project?  So we're making it work.  This isn't the way I was raised so it took me some time to figure out a way to live with it.  I can't just get rid of it all.  Games are everywhere.  Oh, we also monitor them for all that scary inappropriate stuff so really he only gets to play minecraft and Rayman at the moment.  No gory stuff.  I guess I should be grateful that Coen hasn't figured out how to play yet. 

All this is great for the kids but how do I limit myself?  How do I unshrink my world?  I think it's something that I turn to when I'm bored.  Today I made the choice to go to story time at the library and the kids loved it.  The got to dig for "fossils" in their chocolate chip cookies.  The theme was dinosaurs.  Honestly, if I get any more hobbies, I might go broke.  I know I have to unplug, though.  Focus on life around me and enjoy it to the fullest.  Tobin will be gone to school before I know it. 

If the screen is a temptation for you, how do you limit yourself?  A reward system?  Sheer willpower?  Have you added up the time you spend on it?  I'm kind of afraid to.