Screenless Sunday Update

It's been over a month since we began our grand family experiment.We've stepped away from our electronics one day a week, following these rules:

• No TV or Movies

• No computers

• No gaming systems

• Cell phone use for voice communication only; no texting, games, picture mail, etc.

  We're remaining unplugged on Sundays and I'm delighted with the results. I highly recommend unplugging but it comes with a price.  Here are a couple of things that I've learned in the past few weeks.

  Be forewarned! Once the screens go dark, the cherubs are suddenly much more present. 

  This means they're in my face, whining, "What can we doooo?????" Since this whole screenless thing was my bright idea, I felt compelled to give them some guidance...and since my dear husband promised to love, honor, and support my hare-brained ideas when he married me, he's on the hook with me.

  The truth is that our kids just don't have a clue what to do with themselves without screens...so it's up to us to show them.

  We've put down our own laptops, cell phones, etc. and are spending our Sundays face to face with the kids, exposing them to other options for the use of their free time. I'm ashamed to admit that at first I was a bit panicky trying to figure out what we'd all do with ourselves. Did I need to come up with field trips? Educational activities? A lesson plan for bonding and face time? Then I remembered the kinds of things my family did when I was a kid...when we had one TV...and no remote...and we only got 3 channels...before computers, videogames, and every other kind of electronic wizardry entered our lives.

  Here's our latest Sunday without screens: 

Dad slept in, then got breakfast in bed and a pile of kids to start off his day.

We played this cool game for a while.

We stocked up on reading material at the library.

Kate wanted to learn how to make homemade pasta...

so Dad resurrected his pasta maker and taught her to how to make fettucine the old-fashioned way.

Before we had kids, we used to have Craig's homemade pasta all the time. We haven't done this since Kate was born...over 15 years ago!

The rest of the kids helped me with the sauce, salad, and bread...and Madiyar made Rice Krispy Treats for dessert.

We listened to music...and danced...and sang out loud while we cooked and cleaned up.

Tanya has discovered that she's good at jigsaw puzzles. The rest of us are sharing her new addiction.

The girls have taken up knitting. One of the boys has, too...but he prefers to remain nameless.

And last but not least, this is what Mom learned on our most recent Screenless Sunday:

The whining about no screens decreased dramatically when fun and food were involved.

The kids are now making suggestions for activities we can share. Next week, the boys want to learn how to make lasagna from scratch. See what a day without screens can do? It's like the Chinese proverb. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Then teach the cherubs to cook and later they can make dinner for me!