The Phone Only Challenge (Part 1)

So, Mr. Faithful and I have been discussing technology and how we are grateful for how we can do so many things in different ways with it these days compared to the horse and buggy way back when. It is amazing how God gives us these means to think of new ways to communicate! However, lately in our home, it has also become the topic in a discouraging way as well. Our Faithful boys (ages *almost* 5 and 3) love to play video games. We let them play learning games from sites we have found online (If you haven't checked out starfall.com for early learners do so!!) but they also love their Nintendo DS systems.

This part is difficult for us. Mr. Faithful LOVES video games. Before I met him, his time was consumed with work and video games. I slowly weaned him from the joystick (lol!). Now he is an outsider looking in on our children and sees himself mirrored into their gaming. He finds this unacceptable, as do I. No child should wake in the morning and ask to play the games. We limit the time they have with them. I time them at ten minutes each play time and they usually play roughly 4 times a day...so really they are playing about 40-45 minutes a day total. Not sure what the AAP would say about that, but oh well, we're always learning, right?!

After much discussion between my fabulous husband and me, we came up with The Phone Only Challenge. Maybe you need a change in your home too? Maybe too much time is committed to the latest season of Dancing With the Stars or Biggest Loser? Would your children rather stay indoors and play video games than run around outside (regardless of the temperature)? Maybe you should think about this too?

The Phone Only Challenge

RULES:

~No television

~no movies

~no video games

~no computer

~no facebook (gasp!!!)

~no texting

(and for me) no blogging!!!!

keep the radio blasting (dance party anyone?!)

Keep all electronics off (except phone calls for emergency)

Explore the world outside of the computer

if you have a question, find it in a book instead of google

learn about each other all over again

do some art projects and get messy, just to have fun and clean up together!

learn something new about your world without watching the 10:00 news

Now, I know this is a lot of "No" and not a lot of "Yes", but if you think about where our time goes, where does your time go? In our house we have let everything slip over the past year. I hate to admit this, but being humble and biting my pride is part of what God asks us to do to become closer to Him. I want to please my God and could honestly care less what the secular world thinks. Thanks be to God, Mr. Faithful follows when the Holy Spirit calls on him as a father, and he will agree with me, for our home, this is a necessary means to bring our family even closer to God and each other!

 

 

Our children mean everything to us. We are not doing this to take their joy away. We are doing this to put joy back into our lives and not become shackled to the misery that is a secular world. We live for Christ...not for Nintendo, or Facebook, or Joe Schmoe. Some may not agree with me and that is ok! Mr. Faithful and I are doing this for our family to better our children and to make them realize there is more to life than technology. For those that agree with me, STAND UP!! Take Monday, February 6, 2012 and log off of everything. Keep your phone on but do not text or play Hanging With Friends (or related games!). Be faithful friends and do what you feel is best for your families! This, my Faithful Friends, is what is best for my family! And we do it for not only God, but for our children. Xoxo.