Anyway, we had internet for four years.
I say had, because we no longer do! For four years I have struggled
to create good boundaries between myself and the internet. I have
tried putting it on a self timer. I have tried deactivating my
Facebook. I have tried many many things. They have all failed because
the internet is mindlessly pleasing and easily accessible.
So we canceled it. And I have never
been happier. I mean it!
Now when I sit down to write
(like I am doing right now) I don't waste 20 minutes browsing
Facebook. I write.
Now when I nurse I don't
mindlessly scroll my phone and ignore my son. I read a book and
ignore my son. Hah, just kidding. Sometimes I read him books,
sometimes I read by myself, sometimes I knit, and other times I just
sit and chill and talk to Reuben.
But not having internet has taken a ton
of pressure off my life. No Facebook ads. No worrying about
notifications or checking my e-mail. I just pick a day to go to the
library and upload things and schedule posts and check what I need.
My life is so much more free! My husband comes home in the evenings
and we and talk to each other. We don't stare at our phones.
There are other benefits. I've always
worried about how to keep Reuben and Rebekah from looking at
pornography as they mature. (if you want to know why I think porn is
bad, I can do a whole post on that, but for brevity's sake: you can't
tell if those participating are of age and/or have given their
consent) There are a lot of evils on the internet and I want to
protect my children and teach them how to have good boundaries. But
how can I make sure they aren't online in the middle of the night
when I am asleep? And how can I teach them when I myself struggle
with good internet boundaries?
I want my children to use the internet
as a tool and not become addicted to any aspect of it. Moreover, I
desperately want them to know that they can have joy and happiness
and a life outside of social media. What better way to keep them from
looking at pornography or talking to strangers online than not having
internet at home? What better way to teach them they can have joy
without the internet than by example?
Because of the revolutionary change
that has come over our household with the removal of the internet I
would greatly encourage everyone to try it! Only blessings have come
our way from taking this step. We've saved so much money. Because of canceling the internet we also canceled Amazon Prime, Pandora and Audible. Not having internet has drastically reduced our online shopping!
I will update you as the weeks turn
into years, as we have no plans of ever signing up for home internet
again.
