I’m Having A ‘Hands-Free’ Weekend Because I Think We All Need More Of Them

My wife and I are always very careful about being on our phones when our children are in our presence. Although we don't have any big plans for this weekend, we have decided to make it an entirely "hands-free" one. How will we survive?

It's a whole new generation. Technology is winning. It has taken our children. I'm going to sound really old to my kids when they read this one day (or undoubtedly hear me say it repeatedly), but I lived in the last true golden era. I grew up outdoors...biking, skateboarding, playing sports and Capture the Flag, building forts, camping, catching frogs, playing in the snow. My mother couldn't keep me inside, and couldn't track me down to tell me to come home, and I was o.k. I LOVED being a kid in the 80s.

It's never going to be the same for kids. Now there's a fear for parents (somewhat rightfully so) of making kids socially awkward by disconnecting them with technology. Kids are getting bullied nowadays for not being technically cool. That's the way it is. I guess there needs to be a balance. If anything, I believe family time needs to be hands-free. I will still do my best to show my kids the beauty in nature and the joy that can be found outdoors. I don't want them to see their parents constantly being tied up by technology. That's the real disconnect.

My wife and I are powering down our phones and turning them in this Friday and not picking them back up until Sunday night. Wish us luck, although I have a feeling we don't need it.