Blog Post #13

My e-Media Fast

My endeavors to complete a 24 hour period without using any form of media was not only a test upon myself, but my family as well. For this reason, I had seriously considered taking the easy way out and complete one of the other options for this assignment instead. Once I thought about my decision farther, I felt this would be a good opportunity for my children to practice a little self discipline and also give them an idea of what life could be like without these luxuries we all take for granted. Losing television, radio, and the computer was no problem at all for me. My daily activities as a wife, mother and student leave me little time to afford much recreational usage of these media devices. My biggest challenge, however, was refraining from using the telephone and having enough patience to listen to my children's continuous complaints about not being able to watch television or use their V-Reader.  For these reasons, my challenge to go 24 hours without using any kind of media ended in failure.

My first attempt did not go as planned because my husband was home and he was unwilling to cooperate or make the challenge any easier.  My second attempt defeated the purpose of the activity as I planned to start the fast at a time that was more convenient for our family to do without these means of entertainment. The initiation of the final attempt began without notice and privileges were halted abruptly.  This third and final attempt began a whole lot smoother than the previous two did and I had high hopes for the success of this challenge.  As the day progressed and boredom set in with the kids, the continuity of this experiment was in severe jeopardy.  We worked through the boredom and found plenty of other activities to keep busy with.  The kids completed the day successfully going to bed not having had exposure to any source of media entertainment.  The fast suddenly ceased when, without even thinking, I picked up the phone to call my husband who was out of town.

This media fast has definitely been a learning experience for my entire family.  The time my kids and I spent  together finding things to do without the use of any electronic devices is time I will cherish forever.  During this short period of time, I witnessed a change in my children's behavior and the way they interact with one another as well as myself.  While I think it is drastic to completely eliminate media devices on a daily basis, I think it is a good idea to limit the amount of time that is spent on them.  We have also decided as a family that a media fast will be conducted on occasion to give ourselves uninterrupted quality time together.  This activity has also brought me to the realization that the children that will come into my classroom are exposed to enormous amounts of stimuli on a daily basis.  As a result of this children's brains respond better to faster paced material and are quick to bore.  This idea is crucial to take into consideration when developing lesson plans.