I wanted to pass along this article in the Toronto Sun about a family from Guelph, Canada. I have the utmost respect for them: they are living a year "like it's 1986" and parenting their kids like they were parented–without most technology.
After realizing their 2 and 5-year-old boys would not look up from screens and devices, they decided to spend April 2013 through April 2014 living without them just to see what it was like. They gave up things like a DVR, GPS, cell phones, digital cameras, coffee machines and plenty more.
The woman has read 15 books since the experiment, and the man said that in his first few weeks without his cell phone, he could almost feel his pocket vibrating as if it were there. The town seems to be supporting their efforts, with the couple claiming sometimes neighbors will drop off VHS tapes on their doorstep and other gifts with knowledge of the so-called 'experiment.' The article ends with the man stating how their family feels closer and talks a lot more.
As ideal and simple life sounds with such a decision, I don't know if I could do such an experiment after growing up with everything we have. Maybe a month without all of the devices...but a full year? What this taught me is as easy as all of our devices are supposed to make life (GPS instead of looking at a map, smartphone instead of Internet on a computer, etc), they actually make it more difficult. I'm embarrassed at how often I've been on my iPhone and Facebook since moving back home. Hopefully, more families take similar efforts before GenZ doesn't know life without so many screens.
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