Life Got A Little Simpler (And A Lot Better) Without The Internet

We are still without internet at my house which now makes it seven days.

A week without WiFi at home.

The first few days we were at my parents’ house, so the kids still had access.

But since Saturday night, we’ve been home, and we’ve pretty much quit cold turkey. At first I was like, I must find the kids WiFi.

Then I came to my senses (largely after the kids started being total jerks to each other and to me).

We have a no-technology-on-weeknights rule, but I have kind of relaxed on that in the last few weeks since we started swimming with this new team and have a 45 minute commute to the pool.

And there is a direct correlation between technology and (mis)behavior. I am sure of it.

By the fifth day post macroburst, the kids hadn’t been in school at all and they were really starting to push my buttons and each others’ buttons. BIG TIME.

So there was a full-on technology ban put into effect.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

And you know what happened in the last couple days?

The kids started cooperating.

Don’t get me wrong — they have still bugged the sh*t out of each other and whined and cried and annoyed the crap out of me, too.

And it took a little longer for Number 6, my self-proclaimed gamer to accept reality.

But eventually he came around just like everyone else and made the best of it.

There was an almost immediate shift in everyone’s attitude and behavior.

The kids woke up this morning, found a game, and just started playing together.

And while they did that, I sat in a chair and read a magazine without interruptions!

I didn’t have to deal with something not loading or someone needing a password or a device that wasn’t charged or anything!

It was amazing!

Another pretty awesome thing happened today in the WiFi-free zone.

Number 3 taught Number 4 how to use the lawnmower.

I walked outside, and I saw this:

AND THE TWO OF THEM CUT THE GRASS TOGETHER.

I swear to you I did not ask them to do this. It was miraculous!

This never would have happened had we had access to the internet.

NEVER.

And then there was something else that happened today.

Number 5 decided to write a story. She entitled it, The Little Light Bulb.

 

Once upon a time there was a little village.

The village had something very special. It was a very little light that was the only light in the whole village. It was very tiny but very bright. It is on in the night and off in the day.

The only worry that the village had was that the light would burn out. It was over 30 years old.

So one night everyone was sleeping in the whole village. Then suddenly the light went out!

The mayor woke up and rang the emergency bell. Ding Dong Ding Dong!

Everyone awoke and rushed outside. The Mayor had many extra bulbs but they would not fit! The mayor’s daughter was about 8 years old and she knew what to do.

She saw a tall rock. She hopped onto it and told the village something.

 

“I believe that if we do kind things and say kind words to the light it will restore the power of the light.”

So everyone did what she said. Then the light started to get brighter and brighter and it turned on!

The whole village cheered and clapped for the village was now happy again.

Just in case you couldn’t read between the lines, she ended with this:

I hope the readers of this book know the message of this book because it was kindness can do anything!

 

I was kind of blown away by her story! I was happy she just sat down on her own to write something for fun, but also really impressed with the whole message.

She did call her brother a stupid dumb butthole not long after she read it to me, but that’s beside the point.

She gets it, I know.

So as I write this, it’s 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday night. I’m at the library with the kids where they are having a “technology treat” and we are using the free WiFi.

I don’t know how feasible it is to completely go without internet service, but I gotta tell you, I would seriously consider getting rid of it.

I can still get my work done. But this has forced me to really plan out my day and make the most of my internet time. I didn’t waste a whole bunch of time today on Facebook or anywhere else online.

Now I’m realizing I couldn’t really care less about how long it takes to get our service restored.

I kind of like this simpler, less distracted life.

And I think it might be time to do some more reevaluating.

Because while they may not realize it, I think my kids enjoy this simpler life, too.