Growing up a 90’s baby, our playtime was outside. The grass, the dirt, and swing sets were my best friend. Rainy days consisted of playing with my Barbies, coloring, and praying for sunny skies. The closest thing I had to an iPhone was a Tamagotchi pet.
How did things change so much in such a short time?
Kids are glued to electronics: iPad, iPhones and gaming devices. I knew I wanted different for my kids, so we chose to NOT have the internet at our house.
We live in the country and don’t have the best internet providers; for us, this made our decision not to have the internet a little easier. Eventually, I am sure we won’t have the choice whenever our children are older and school projects come into play. For now, we don’t see the purpose.
We don’t have a family computer or iPad or any gaming systems … and guess what?
THAT IS OKAY.
My daughters are coloring fanatics, they own more coloring books than I do shoes and that is A LOT. Their creativity amazes me. Blue skies, birds, trees, plants: they see it all. They are soaking it all up. I don’t want them to miss the beauty in the world. Their imaginations are colorful. The world is still so pretty and happy in their eyes and I want to keep it that way for as long as I can. Don’t get me wrong, we have TVs, my kids are not sheltered from the outside world. 
There is more to life than being glued to the internet.
It needs to be different for them, they should not feel imprisoned by electronics.
The purpose of not having the internet, for me is to not teach my children to be so dependent on an iPhone or iPad. I want them to spend time talking to people, playing, drawing, and laughing. I want them to see that the world has so much to offer and I want them to be present in their life, not living on the sidelines on an iPad. People on the internet don’t always have the best intentions for our kids and that terrifies me. Kids can’t always be sheltered; I understand that, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try my hardest.
If you are a family who has the internet, I challenge you to try limiting your child’s time playing with electronics and let their imaginations run wild.
