Where There is A Mom, There Is A Mission

Every mom probably has something different that they feel passionate about. Some lesson to be passed down to the next generation. Some way they want to impact their children to contribute to make a better society. Something they think might be a dying practice in our day and age. Maybe it is an appreciation for history or art, or the gift of hospitality, or how to care for the elderly or the homeless, or the knowledge of different cultures, or how to garden, cook and sew, or the importance of making healthy eating choices or how to use proper manners and etiquette. The great thing about mothering alongside other moms is that we can all glean and pick up valuable lessons from each other. One of my missions is to teach my children the value of rest and sleep in this busy rat race we live in but that is for a different blog. We probably have a few missions motivating our mothering. 

The mission I want to share about today is to teach my kids the importance of alone and quiet time. Away from all the hustle and bustle and how to turn off the technology that is vying for our attention 24/7. This is probably because I myself am an introvert and get energized from my time away from people and all the clamoring noise that goes along with being connected or plugged in through technology.

We have limited TV time and very little to no computer game time a day, we even monitor our music time. We spend the majority of our day with none of that on. I also taught my kids to have alone time in their beds after they wake up in the morning and at naptime. I started that when they were babies. My oldest has pretty much stopped taking naps so she has alone play time in her room for an hour and then in the play room for an hour while my son sleeps (I hear this depends on the personality of your child). But it allows me my much needed mommy time each afternoon. Eventually I want to teach them how to read and pray during their own alone times with God and I have already built this time allotment into their schedule for it. It is a wonderful gift to give our kids in teaching them how to create space and margins in their life.

In the car, we don’t watch movies but we do listen to music. I want to provide my kids the opportunity to learn how to look out the window and think and imagine and daydream. We also do not use any kind of DVD players, phones or Ipad devices while at restaurants or other places. I want my kids to know how to be able to sit at a table and act appropriately and have eye contact and conversations with real live people. (Not that they do any of this right now!) And we try to not watch TV during any meal times at home as well. Yes, this can make my husband and my life more difficult at times. It is not easy or convenient. But it is a good habit that will be in place for later. We have to live with the end goal in mind.

I don’t want to cease and desist all technology ever but I do want to allow time for my kids to be ok with none of that, to not depend on it, to not be attached or addicted to it. I want them to create their own stories and dramas and games and heroes and villians. I want them to read books that you actually hold and turn the pages and feel.  I want them to live in the tangible world instead of cyberspace. I don’t want to handicap my children but help them develop adequate skills that will last a lifetime.

I went on a date the other week with my husband and there were two families having dinner together, adults at one table and kids at another. Instead of laughing and joking and horsing around, the 4 kids who looked to be about 9-11 years old were all holding some sort of device in their hands lost in no man’s land. I know I am going to be swimming upstream and climbing an uphill battle as my kids get older. But a mother can hope and try.

For where there is a mom, there is a mission.