I am considering pressing pause for the month of August to spend oodles of unplugged time with the three people above. What do you think?
Do you ever worry about how your online life affects your off-line existence? I am working on an article about this very topic, namely how spending so much time online affects parenthood and person-hood, so please paste links to any and all posts, articles, studies and books you know of that speak to this question!
1) Unplug and GO! Spend oodles and oodles of time with those girls. Looking forward to the wonderful stories that are sure to come in September
2) Agreed, this summer is going jet speed fast!
3) The topic of how online time on behalf of the parent in relation to the authenticity of time they spend with their children is something one of my college courses discussed this past spring. Albeit the course focused more on the instances of child neglect (it was a Criminology course) pertaining to parents that are addicted to the internet (a sadly growing trend). But, I do have a few articles we read on the topic. Here are a couple and when I check my course folder (when little one is napping!), I will try and send you some more. Good luck with the piece!
http://ideas.time.com/2012/05/17/why-cell-phones-are-bad-for-parenting/
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/are-you-neglecting-your-kids-because-of-your-smartphone/article2436436/?service=mobile
Thanks so much for these links! And do let me know if you find others that might be of interest. I am endlessly fascinated by the question of online life and parenting. On the one hand, I know that blogging and connecting here makes me a more aware, thoughtful, and better mom. But it also takes me away – physically, mentally, existentially – and there are times when I worry about the affects it is having on my role as mother. I guess all we can do is strive for that nebulous balance, right?
THanks and send me those other articles!!
Unplug! Though we will miss you here. Enjoy your beautiful girls and time away from the blog.
Thanks for the thumbs up, Amy. I think it will be a good August – and also that I will be itching to get back here!
Sometimes it feels good to take off the electronic leash and run free.
Interesting choice of words – leash. It sometimes does feel like a leash, doesn’t it? In any event, I look forward to my month of “running free”. Hope you are good!
Do it. Don’t give it a second thought. Enjoy the time with your family–you’ll never get it back and nothing you say here will have as much value as that time spent with them.
Thanks, s. You are right and I appreciate your voice in this conversation.
I feel like I could probably dedicate a blog post of my own to this question, but short answer…. I’ve found that at times and points in my history, I have had a habit of not being fully present in offline life in favor of the online world. I’d go to events and be a spectator rather than a participant… Taking pictures, taking mental notes that could be later recycled into blog posts, tweeting… I’d hide behind my devices so I wouldn’t have to participate in conversations. Everything shifted for me when I moved to NYC. I started learning the value of not having my nose in my computer or phone all the time.
So interesting. I can relate to much of what you describe. I often feel like I am witnessing something rather than truly experiencing. I catch myself noting details I wouldn’t even see if I weren’t a writer gathering material… I wonder if this is a bad thing? Or if it is kind of an added bonus of being a writer, i.e. that it makes our perception even keener? Hmmm.. Yes, but there is something to be said for putting the devices away and I look forward to doing just that in the near future. Didn’t know you live here in NYC!!
Unplug. We will be here when you return. And looking forward to hearing your stories during your bloggy break.
Thanks, you. I am sure you understand the desire to step away from time to time, right? Hope you are good! xox
Absolutely! You will be missed, but you should take this precious time! Enjoy!!
Thanks for the support, Jacqueline!
We’ll miss you, but enjoy the time “off” with your beauties!
Thanks, Emma. I do think I will enjoy these last few July blogging days and then really do everything I can to soak up some unplugged time with my girls in August.
I vote unplug! You have a big back to school this year with Big Girl starting kinder at her new school…an exciting time you’ll want to remember and enjoy without any other worries. Please just bring us back lots of stories when you return!
Thanks, AG. I do promise a bevy of stories and pictures upon my return. Happy to have a few more days of July to blog too! Hope all is well. xox
I’m going to do the same thing I did last year, and post pictures every weekday in August instead of words. I found it a good way to recharge. You know I’ll be here when you’re back! And I can’t wait to read your essay. xox
I love the idea of posting pictures each day. And I love that we are both taking a step back from this odd and wonderful world next month. It can only enhance our minds and words, right, this time away, this time with our creatures? xox
I unplugged today. This is the last post I will write for some time, not even sure when. This might very well be the last post I read until then as well. Enjoy your august. My online blogging life has taken up a lot of my personal time that needs to be spent elsewhere right now. In 3 weeks my kids go back to school ;-(
Good for you. I am glad (and not surprised) to learn that I am not the only one pondering upnplugging. Hope you have a wonderful and enlightening three weeks, Gina.
Yes, and in fact it probably does. You deserve a break from the online world, Aidan. Family is very important. God bless you and your beautiful family.
Thanks so much, Monica! I am not sure it is a matter of deserving a break, but it is definitely a matter of craving one.
You know that is a “no contest” decision. Let’s look at it this way: Never have I said, thought, felt, or regretted the option of “unplugging” to be with my children. Not once did I wish I hadn’t. That is a GUARANTEED winning decision. There’s nothing to consider. It is a mandatory need of the deepest part of your soul and something that will stay with your babies for all of their existence. Go girl, GO! lol <3
You are so right. There is no way I will look back and regret that I took August 2012 off from my blog to spend with my kids. It’s really that simple. Thanks so much, Corrina! Hope to see you here more
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/technology/silicon-valley-worries-about-addiction-to-devices.html?_r=1
I just unplugged for two weeks and the results were tangible.
So fitting because I literally JUST read this article. I am really looking forward to taking some time away from the online world because as much as I love it (and I do), I feel it affecting me and I am just craving a bit of untethered and more old school time. Any major insights from your 2 weeks off?
Totally do it — the Europeans have it all right in the regard.
I’m going to roll two comments into one right here – one on “Why not begin?” and the other on “What do you think?”
I’ve just returned home after a six-day trip away, the primary goal of which was the German Formula One Grand Prix race in Hockenheim, Germany (I live in Vienna, Austria). I’ve watched Formula One races on TV for decades, but this is the very first time I’ve been to an actual race – and I did the whole three-day experience, of practice and qualifying sessions, followed by the actual race. It was fabulous and I loved every minute. So this was my “Why not begin?” experience.
A previous poster said that as one gets older one fears failure less as one has failed so often already. I don’t agree with this. I am older and I fear failure less because I care less what other people think. For me the issue is not about success or failure in itself, and has everything to do with what others think of us. If we could take others’ judgements out of the picture, we would quite happily take one inumerable challenges, without a care in the world about success or failure. We need to get to the point where we do things for ourselves. People will think what they think, but we shouldn’t let that stop us.
While on this trip, I left all personal technology at home, so no ‘phone or laptop. I resisted the urge after day one of the races, to email friends to tell them how much fun I was having – and I didn’t watch TV. Yesterday, I travelled for 8 hours by train across Germany and Austria and I didn’t even open my (real) book – I just watched the scenery go by. It feels like I’ve been away for at least three weeks, my mind is quiet and calm, and I feel very rested and peaceful. So I am fully behind you, Aidan, as you press pause.
I’d also like to throw this into the mix. When you do come back in September, how about posting less frequently? I battle to keep up with your excellent daily offerings – but I think for you too, you may find “less is more” on many different levels. Just a thought.
Sorry, typo above
Paragraph 3, Line 5, should read :
happily take ON inumerable challenges…….
Most definitely unplug and relish that time with your kids. Seriously! Even before I had children or was married, for that matter, I so looked forward to my Cape Cod vacations. My parents had no TV/cable/dish and no internet at the time, so it was a truly unplugged break. These days, the TV is for DVDs only and they do have wifi, so the ability to stay connected is there. But, I still try to unplug. I definitely don’t work while I’m there. I don’t write or publish blog posts. I try only to read emails, but not respond to them (where possible). Generally, I have my nose in a book and my toes in the sand … and I come back to my real life feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.
My mother-in-law just passed on an article to me about the connection between an online presence and depression. I haven’t yet read it, but I’m sure you’ll find it to be of interest.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/08/is-the-internet-making-us-crazy-what-the-new-research-says.html
This article is excellent! Thanks for sharing it here. I read several times, mulling over the details and facts it revealed. I was in awe. I am fairly new to the whole “social media” and “blogging” areas. I actually experienced a mild (?) and brief depression as a result of exactly what that article warned about as far as getting sucked in. It was both enlightening and scary. It helped me realize what had happened and sort it through, put things in perspective. “All things in moderation”.
Thanks again!
Online overload is a new phenomemon. Whether its our online presence or the habit of checking our friend’s status, living online can become so all consuming that it mirrors addiction. Taking a break from technology every once in a while is a great idea. But don’t fight the withdrawl symptoms. There is nothing noble about abandoning your readers for a month.
I disagree. THERE IS NOTHING NOBLE about putting your children to the side for other people. THERE IS EVERYTHING NOBLE about putting off adults for a while so you can have QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN who need to be your ultimate priority in the first place.
Thank you
You’re welcome. For what it’s worth, I’m very
proud of you. My heart swells with joy for you and
your beautiful children.
I am so proud of you and happy for your ability to stay “offline” per say. I’m sure you and those beautiful girls of your are having the time of your life. I look forward to seeing photos and hearing your stories about your time away. BIG SMILES FOR YOU AND YOURS!