Maybe it’s just me (and I am more than willing to admit that it might be) but I am sort of tired of our technological world.  Recently my five year old asked me for an iPod.  I seriously couldn’t believe what I was hearing!  I asked her what in the world she wanted to do with an iPod to which she answered, “Listen to music and play games of course!”

It sounds fairly innocent, but why should a five year old be so plugged in so soon.  Shouldn’t she be playing with dolls and pretending to live in a castle.  Then there is my two year old, who is more than capable of unlocking my iPhone and choosing which app he wants.  He is about one click away from learning how to purchase something!  What happened to little kids playing outside and using those amazing imaginations? The way I see it, she will be a teenager wanting to shut herself away with her music in her room soon enough.  Why rush the thing?

Of course, I know I’m partly to blame, I use my smartphone like its my brain.  I probably wouldn’t know what day it was without it.  Luckily though, my daughter doesn’t need to know what day it is.  So I challenged myself (and my husband) to limiting our “plugged in” time around the kids.  Instead we vow to get down and pretend with our kids, while they are willing to pretend.  Don’t get me wrong, next time we are at the doctor’s office or some other place that requires kids to be patient and relatively quiet they will get their shot at some iPod games and movies.  I am all for the technology when it is needed and most useful.

If you think it’s for you, I challenge you to get a little unplugged with your kids every now and again!

-Stephanie Wright