This is one of those pictures we don’t share. An #optoutside hashtag would be ironic, at best. They aren’t on educational apps nor watching informational videos. It’s that side of unschooling that makes unschoolers (even radical ones) cringe a little.
There’s always a family that appears to being doing “better.” As little screen time (I include any content on a screen) as we get relative to national averages, I still see the absolutists, world schoolers, and off-grid livers who seem to have a lock on the analog life.
My social media feeds are full of images of my sons up trees and in streams, but there is an almost daily negotiation around screen time that often becomes a battle.
One of the hardest things for me is at the end of a day of adventure. We’ve seen friends, explored new places, met new people, enjoyed an audiobook en route, and finished with a sweet treat; yet just before bed, “Dad, did you put the tablet on the charger, it’s at 36%.”
My ego flares up, “What? Did you not just have the most amazing day without a screen? Aren’t you ready to abandon the digital life for one of lively connection?” An exaggeration, but I’ve come close to these words.
Last night was one of those nights (although they did have some tablet time during the day). But I held back my ego and said, “I’ll get it charged up in the morning.”
It works better when I’m gentle. Sometimes they binge and I cringe, but we never have time in the car and our frequent weekends away are usually screen free. I’ve got boudaries, but they’re not set around minutes on a device.
So, there they are, at a playground on a beautiful day, playing goofball games. I try to be gentle with them and myself. Please be gentle with your children and, especially, yourself.
God bless, I appreciate and thank you,
Jason