Before the Internet

I've been thinking a lot about the technology we have today. It's so cool that if we have a question we can say, "hey Google, what's the difference between a tortoise and a turtle?" And we have an answer. (Please note, my older kids would never need to ask this, they already know. They love tortoises!) 

I'm not up and up with the newest technology by any means- but I do have a smart phone. We have the internet, a smart TV (thanks to my Dad!), and computers, tablets and iPods. 

I remember when I got my first iPod touch (back when we were newlyweds and our cell phone was a prepaid flip phone). (Actually, that was still the case even just six years ago!) 

I loved it because it meant I could read my scriptures easily while singing little boys to sleep. I would take a picture and immediately share it with family and friends via email, and later Instagram. 

And now, here I am, almost wishing I could go back. I was so grateful for it then. What happened?

I just finished reading an old book written by a lady who had nine kids- two sets of twins, one set of triplets, and two singles.I got tired just reading about everything she did! 

This was back in the day when women sewed all their family's clothes; canned fruit (where I live many still do that!); and deep cleaned their house twice a year. (Do people still do that and I'm just missing the boat?) The point of the book was positive and involved parenting- which I love. 

I felt a tiny bit nostalgic and even sad reading her book. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a very involved parent. I'm not afraid to get out and play in the mud with my kids! But if I'm truly honest with myself, I realize it's hard to even just enjoy a Harry Potter movie night (we made them read ALL the books first!) with my three oldest boys without wanting to check Instagram or Facebook, or peruse the news. Just because my phone is nearby. 

How sad. 

The author described Sunday evenings sitting outside in the grass while the kids played and rolled down the hill. Maybe that part really got me because I remember those kinds of nights when I was a kid. Or maybe it hit me hard because we have 3 feet of snow on the ground still, and might only have mud for months once it actually melts. 🤷 

But, I felt a slight pull to how things used to be. Before the internet. 

Before I felt the need to always have a device in my hand.

Before it was an option to be connected to the outside world. 

It's a positive thing to have easy access to family who lives far away. To be able to research, communicate and do so much. But I wonder how much we have lost because of all we've gained. 

I've always liked the quote by Barbara Bush that says, "Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house.”

When I looked that quote up right now (on the internet of course) I found that there's a bit more to it. To start she said, "You must read to your children and you must hug your children and you must love your children."

So today I'm renewing my efforts to care less about scouring the internet for a great deal on a new swimsuit. I will still enjoy sharing pictures and videos with family and friends on Instagram, but I'll leave it at that. And I'm promising myself that from now on, family nights (whether watching a movie or something else) will be tech free. And in my kids eyes, every night is family night, so I've got some work to do.

I want to be able to remember these times as happily as I do my own childhood. Before the internet. 

And not only remember them because I took a picture. But because I was there. Really there. Fully present.

As I look back at photos from my own children's lives (on my smart phone), I see happiness as we pick huckleberries together; float the river; sled down our driveway; build forts; and hike in the woods. And many many more happy adventures together as a family. I think we're off to a good start. 

But, if I allow it to, technology can easily sneak in and steal my attention. I want my kids to feel of my love; to know of my love for them! And to remember me not with a phone in my hand, but with a smile on my face and their own hand in mine. 

"From now on, these eyes will not be blinded by the light!" From now on!