I am guilty. I sometimes ignore my children to play on my phone (mostly looking at Instagram or checking email), read, or watch an episode of my favorite show on Netflix. I hate that I do this but I felt I needed to confess it. It actually didn’t occur to me that I was doing anything “wrong” until one day I looked up and my family had gone for a bike ride and left me at home. Yikes! Very true confession!
This was a few months ago and I felt terrible. I immediately put my phone down and walked to the end of our street and found them. That was the moment I decided to stop using devices during family time (which is just about every moment of the day). I do use my phone in the morning for my devotions (I have an app that has the Bible reading and devotion together). I put my phone away after that and only use it for music when I clean or to check email at lunch.
I know, sounds like a drastic thing to do. But, I don’t want to miss one single minute of my boys growing up. Someone told me recently that we only get 18 summers with each child. I almost burst into tears. That is such a small amount of time.
I want to “be in the moment” with my family. I want to live each moment with them and remember all the things we do together. Since that day when they left me at home, I have gone for a walk with them 90% of the time (the other 10% it’s raining and no one can go). We walk to the end of our street and sometimes across the street to the school to play on the playground.
We are also being more spontaneous. If we have a break in the heat (we live in Virginia where the humidity can make it unbearable outside), we go for a ride around town. The boys will suggest a place to go and we go. It’s almost always to the park but we also have a historic area that is amazing to explore. It is probably our favorite place to go as a family. There is a candy shop with lollipops for 99 cents and lots of painted rocks to hunt.
Being in the moment doesn’t mean every single moment ever. It means being there for your family. It means doing stuff with them and watching them grow up. Not looking up from your phone one day to see them already grown up. These days are so fleeting and I want to soak up every last drop of every moment (not literally but you get my drift). My oldest son will be ten in a few months and I feel like he should only be like five years old. It is hard watching them grow up but oh so rewarding when you get to witness all the adventures they go on.
So, my challenge to you is to put down that phone (or book or whatever is keeping you from your children) and be in the moment with them. Run through the sprinkler with them. Go for a bike ride. Take them to get ice cream. Or, just play a game of soccer in the backyard with them. Sometimes it is even simpler than that. Read a book together and talk about it. That’s when my family has the most fun. I am joining you in this challenge. We can do it!
