The Electronics Ban

A week ago, I instituted a ban on all electronics for the youngest 3 Crack Monkeys. They were constantly fighting over the computer and their tempers were short anytime someone would interrupt their time on their iPods. It happened on a day when I came home from a second surprise root canal, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Not the best day to get on my nerves, but it happened.

Specifically, the yelling from Jeff and Vanessa over whose turn it was on the computer; it was so loud that it woke me up from my nap. Cue my "crazy eyes" and the Crack Monkeys knew they were in trouble.

So no more iPods, computer games, YouTube, Xbox or PS4. They were devastated and a bit hysterical, but I'm so done with it. Whatever happened to "playing"? Obviously not today's definition of playing, but what I used to do as a kid?

Even as a teenager, summertime was something to look forward to. In Hawaii, there were beaches to go to and outside to explore. When my family lived on a coffee farm, and if we weren't outside picking said coffee, there were pigs and chickens to chase, mango trees to climb, and coffee trees to get lost among.

When we weren't living on the farm, we'd be playing hide-n-seek, kickball or dodgeball in the street of our neighborhood. We lived on a street that sloped, so it made the games even more intense because we had to make sure the ball didn't go rolling down the hill. When the sun went down, we came home dirty and tired from playing and exploring.

I sound like and old fart, but I miss those days. I want my kids to have the same kind of memories that they'll remember fondly.

Anyway, the ban was put in place a week ago. This is what the Crack Monkeys have been doing since then:

Ethan loves Legos; whether it's a specific set or just
something out of his own imagination, it's guaranteed
to keep him busy for awhile 

Our neighborhood has a gated community pool. We've spent
most of our days there in summers past.

Torturing the dogs. It's like a daily requirement or something

Playing board games. Currently, they're hooked on
Monopoly Junior and the Disney version of Headbanz.
I love listening to them laugh as they play.

I'm an avid reader, so whenever my kids pick up a book,
it makes my heart happy. Ethan immersed himself in this
book series, while Vanessa stuck with her My Little Pony
chapter books. Jeff loves reading the Friend magazine, which
is helping to improve his reading

So, far, so good. The house is a bit more calm and quiet. I was worried for a bit because they seemed so dependent on everything electronic, but they've proven that they can "survive" without it. It's for the rest of the summer (school starts up again near the end of August), so here's hoping that they can stick with it.