I truly intended to blog so much more this summer. If not daily, at least a few times a week. Well here we are, a month in, and this is my first update since the very first week. There have certainly been some ups and downs as well as some screen time allowed in specific scenarios. But all in all, I'd say we have, for the most part, broken the screen habit. I'm actually surprised how it just seemed to happen without any of us realizing it.
We spent the past week at the beach with their grandparents and great-grandparents and at first they struggled because they're used to a lot of screen time there. They used to get up in the morning and immediately start playing games on their phones or watching TV or asking to play on Nana's iPad or playing the Xbox...for heaven's sake, screens are everywhere! The only time they weren't on screens was when we were out on the actual beach or riding on the boat or jet skiis. Owen would complain about having to stop screening to go out on the beach and wouldn't want to stay long once we got there. (He kinda hates sand too.) But this year, without screens they were so much more excited to get out of the beach house and do things. They even got a chance to go out fishing in the open ocean for the first time. Owen caught a fish and responded with a quote that I think truly reflects the positive change in him: "This is my new favorite thing!" Oh my heart!
In between outdoor activities, they did have some time to play the Xbox and watch a few TV shows when they really needed some down time. But those times were few and far between. We celebrated Owen's 6th birthday while we were at the beach. He received some LEGO sets that he had specifically asked for (even though he typically doesn't enjoy LEGOs quite as much as Emmett does). Well today he spent the entire day building his LEGO mountain police station, all while Emmett was at cub scout day camp. He worked patiently and quietly and only asked for help when he was truly stuck or when he couldn't find the right piece he needed. It was quite amazing to watch, as he usually gets easily frustrated with building LEGOs and wants someone else to just do it for him. His proud face said it all, especially when big brother got home and expressed his amazement at how much Owen had built.
We think that we are continuing to see a pattern in Emmett, where reintroducing screen time seems to result in negative behaviors. Following screen time he tends to have more trouble controlling himself, he is much less respectful, and his mood is generally not as positive. He has a mind that is always moving a mile a minute and down time is his enemy. He hyper-focuses on whatever he is currently interested in, and transitioning to something else at the request of someone else can be very difficult, whether screens or LEGOs. But his creative side is pretty amazing to watch when he gets going. Before our last dinner at the beach, Emmett decided to make it like a restaurant. He designed a menu, set the table, and took everyone's food and drink orders. These are the kinds of things I would always see other people's kids doing. Parents would brag on social media about all the creative things their kids were doing/making/learning. And I'd be like, "My kids watched 5 consecutive hours of Pokémon today. Woo."
When we have watched TV lately, it's been World Cup Soccer or Ninja Warrior. Then we turn it off again when the game or episode ends. We're getting used to the quiet. And when it feels too quiet we listen to music. The one thing I complained about in the beginning was that they still never voluntarily chose to read. Well that happened too while we were at the beach. It was suddenly very quiet so I checked on them and they were both laying on their beds reading library books. Go figure. Another favorite moment came on the 4th when Emmett and I spent some time looking up at the night sky. We noticed that we could actually see 3 planets at once, and confirmed this using Skyview, one of my favorite apps. Space/astronomy has been a particular area of interest to the boys, especially Emmett, this summer. We have certainly made some memories, a lot of which may not have happened under normal circumstances.
Onward through July!
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