How do you manage your relationship with technology?
How do you manage your relationship with technology?
You’re probably wondering why you haven’t heard from us this week … well we decided to take a break from technology.
We might seem like the worst mums but our boys don’t have access to their own iPads, iPods or phones. They don’t need them. If they want to ‘play games’, they go outside, jump on a trampoline, draw, read, ride their bikes, there is so much Lego we curse it … This was the way we were bought up … so where have those days gone?
From our mobile phones to our laptops, our lives are full of screens. We wake up to them, we come home to them, and we are attached to them all day long. Yes, technology may be incredibly useful and educational and it undoubtedly allows us much creativity, connectivity and enjoyment … But if it begins to distract you from doing what you should be doing – like your job or your education – or it negatively affects your relationships, or costs you more money than you can afford, then it starts to become dangerous. If it is negatively impacting your life you need to evaluate what you do online, when and with whom.
Media is about mass communication. Media shows us things through rose coloured glasses, appeals to our desires & wants, leads us to question ourselves & our relationships … is everything greener on the other side???? It might look that way, but is that just what they want us to see.
Overexposure to media can be detrimental to our health … will I be skinnier if I drink that? Detrimental to our relationships … messaging that chick from highschool is harmless … ? Detrimental to our self esteem … I look nothing like those girls, what’s wrong with me?
It is important to switch off from technology, tune out from social media, limit screen time & get back to having conversations, actually listening to others, getting outside, lifting our eyes up to notice what’s going on around us, looking in the mirror, appreciating life, reading books to our kids rather than shoving iPads in their hands, sharing experiences & being ‘valuable’ to each other.
A few ways we do this is by only accessing our phones during certain times, having breaks from social media, organising face to face catch ups rather than messaging, leaving our phones at home when we can.
The way we interact with technology will have a direct impact upon how our children choose to use all they have at their disposal … & how we interact with people will have an everlasting impact upon our children’s perceptions of relationships, communication & how to deal with life’s ups & downs.
How do you manage your relationship with technology?