A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to the Remote Control

Crazy things happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays in and around our house. Thursdays have been designated as "tech-free Thursdays" since last summer; and this summer, we, meaning, I, decided Tuesdays would also be free of TV, Wii, Nintendo DSi, Leapster products, computer, etc.

It's not that I dislike any of these forms of entertainment. While I still don't 'get' video games, whether they come on an Atari machine or I-Pad, I see value in them, just as I find value in parking my boys in front of Elmo or Johnny Test for 30 minutes so I can shower or make dinner or take a phone call.

But the oldest of my three boys is, how do I put this, nicely? He's intensely focused. If he's reading a book, he will not notice that his baby brother sitting next to him is on fire. I've been told by "experts" that this intensity will serve him well in life; but I find it bothersome when he's watching TV or playing computer or any of his other electronic pursuits and I cannot get his attention without switching off the main house fuse. Left to his own, this son would be plugged in from when his 6 a.m. internal clock goes off until we force him into bed in the evening.

Hence the daily limits. Everyone has limits. But the totally tech-free days started out as a bold experiment, one that has gone so well that I decided to expand it to two days a week, much to my oldest son's chagrin. (The two younger boys can pretty much take or leave the electronics.)

Rainy days, or bitterly cold days, pose more of a challenge than the nice days. And mornings, especially if I have to do something other than the usual dress/feed/cleanup routine, can also start out rough.

But a funny thing happens every tech-free day. My boys end up playing with each other. Maybe that's what you'd expect them to do, a 9-year-old, 4-year-old and 2-year-old. But they don't. It makes me crazy, especially when the younger ones beg, beg so enthusiastically, to get their big brother to play with them. On a day that he can turn to his electronic crutches, the big brother does. But on the days he can't, well, he eventually gives in and I observe creative play at its best.

Sure, the house usually ends up a complete wreck, with sofa cushions used to build forts or as landing pads, blankets turned into super hero capes, multiple games' pieces strewn about the living room and Lego creations in various forms of completeness littering my dining room table.  

But that's a mess I'm happy to clean up, any day.