Simple Pleasure.

     Summer break was always my MOST favorite time of year. My joy at watching my children soak up days of little pressure and responsibility parallels mine when I had summer vacation off. Even though this time of year is my busiest, I cherish every moment. I have been jealously guarding their glowing screen time for I am THAT mom. (RE: Rabid and Extreme.)
     God has given me a clear goal with my kids. It has been a hard one. No kids, you aren't getting a Game Gadget 3000. Oh! How I wanted to give them one! God said no. The whining insued. I looked up at God and He gave me strength to not break down and buy it. I wanted to be the cool mom. The mom that gave their kids the best gifts. Admidst the loud complaints I kicked them outside. Again at God's clear leading. They scream for 20 minutes every day about it.
     There have been pay offs. Big ones. My children surprised me no end when the most cantankerous one piped up at lunch, "Sarah, (his oldest sister) remember that game we played in your closet with the lights? Let's take Ellanor (youngest sister) in there and play that really great game we made up." After lunch is tv time. He'd rather play with his sisters! Then we went to the park. My kids started spontaneously rolling down the hill because that is what Buttercup did to Wesley in the book they just READ. (ok we did watch the film after the book was managed, who wouldn't?) My son and daughters laughed as they called out, "AS YOU WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!" (read The Princess Bride the backstory on Fezzik alone is worth the author's rambling about the movie; that part you can freely skip.) Last night my children found the most DELICIOUS and AMAZING wild blackberries because I "80's mom style" told they had to go out and play in this crazy-mild, summer evening. My children became explorers.
    Yes. This has been hard on me and them. "MOOooooom I am the only one in my class without a phone." Says MOOOoooom, "You have a phone. It is called a land line. Your friends can call it anytime." MOOOoooom, all my friends have Game Gadget 3000 with earbuds!" Says Mom, "Great in 5 years time your hearing will be WAAAAAAAAAAy better than all of your friends."
           ****************You're so MEAN MOM!****************
     God strengthened my own weak spots. These are the tools that helped me get to the good side. You don't have to start where I have. But start somewhere. Use a loud timer to limit the glowing addiction time, kick them outside and make them earn the time they play on computer by an agreed upon time they play outside. The delicate process of unplugging their little, forming, precious minds from things that go BEEEPLYBOOP to things that really inspire them is so totally worth it.