Do You Daydream Enough?

I made my kids angry, again.

This time it was during a road trip, when I insisted upon DFT- device free time.  I thought if I gave it an acronym, it would sound cooler.  No luck.

You see, several things  have caused me to worry that in this era of ever present entertainment via electronic devices my family isn’t daydreaming enough.  Things like:

1. The hubby used to read before bed.  Now he plays Dream League soccer on his iPhone while I read.  Ok, sometimes he reads the news.
2. My eldest used to read books in the car during the commute to soccer practice.  Now he plays Dream League soccer on his iPhone.  Or checks Instagram for soccer videos.
3. I’m currently reading All the Light We Cannot See.  (Fantastic so far.)  One of the main characters, a boy named Werner, is always tinkering, taking apart radios, seeking knowledge.  Often, when my kids have free time, they want to play Xbox.
4. This is the most important: The Bored and Brilliant series on Note To Self.  Host Manoush Zomorodi shares my concern that our society’s attachment to devices is crushing creativity.  Instead of imagining, we’re placating our minds with pointless busy- ness.  (Read: FB scrolling).

Note to Self created a multi-step challenge to encourage people to put down their phones and indulge in boredom.  Exercises included a ban on picture taking (just experience the moment!) and deleting the most time consuming app on your phone.  Manoush also recommended an app, called Moment, that monitors how often you unlock your phone and how much time you spend on it each day.   Disturbing information, let me tell you.

With all this in mind, over the summer I developed my own Bored and Brilliant challenge:  DFT. The idea is to get the devices out of all of our hands for a while so  we can use our brains for a higher purpose than liking photos on Instagram.  Know what happened during DFT?  My kids scowled.  But, they also interacted more with me and each other.  Board games came out.  Reading resumed.

I’ve also tried to create more tech margin for myself, which means only checking email and FB at certain times of day (over lunch, waiting at soccer practice) and protecting my time for reading, writing, and other noble pursuits.

However, all isn’t a perfect Word Nerd haven.  The kids ALWAYS glare when I mention DFT. They clutch their little devices like Gollum clutches the One Ring.  (another sign that they need separation).  And too often, I forget to enact DFT (the goal was 2 hours every day this summer – didn’t happen). Or, I don’t have the energy to fight with them.  Finally, there are fine details to negotiate, like is it OK for daughter to have her iPod during DFT if she’s just listening to music?

Sigh.  As daughter often says, the struggle is real.

I’m comforted by knowing that I’m not the only one struggling with technology limits.  Just this week, two of my blogging friends posted about the battle with the Internet and electronic devices.  We all wrote about this topic without consulting each other.  To me, that’s a clue this is serious business.  For more perspectives on the technology dilemma visit

• Valerie at Peaceful Promises: It’s Time to Build an Ark
• Amy at Maisymak: Because I Love You: Tech Rules in this House

Thank you ladies for your inspiration.  🙂

How do you set technology limits for yourself and your family?  When do you daydream?  

Thanks for stopping by!

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