Fair

First of all...

I'm telling you. This baby.

Anyway. So, remember a few weeks ago when I was telling you what a cool mom I was for buying my kids a Wii? Yeah, about that. Turns out Jack is a hardcore video game addict. I kid you not. That guy has a serious problem. I'm not sure if it's our fault for depriving him of technology and popular culture during these critical formative years, or if this is just a precursor to a lifetime of addiction, but it did not take long for us to realize the error of our ways and box that thing up.

It was shocking to me (SHOCKING!) how quickly the Wii became the focus of my kids' lives. I tried to regulate the use, half an hour here, do some chores and play a game there. Earn time on the Wii by reading or playing outside or helping with dinner but it quickly became ALL THEY COULD TALK ABOUT. First thing in the morning "How can we earn some time on the Wii?" last thing before bedtime "Can we play on the Wii tomorrow?" and so on.

For a minute I entertained the possibility of letting them binge on it and eventually the novelty would wear off, right? They couldn't be like this forever, right? Right?

But after my week in California where Sawyer cracked out on my cousin's iPad and the mini DVD player and Jack stayed home and convinced Brent to give him full access to the Wii, I knew we had a big problem. The kids were becoming total technology fiends, stealing my phone, whining about the computer, begging for TV shows, and then flopping around the house claiming they were bored when we said no.

The worst was a 90 degree day when no one wanted to go to the pool. "I wish it was winter already," Jack whined. "Then we could just stay inside all day."

And so I made the decision to go cold turkey. No more screens. It was ugly.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Jack actually went through some withdrawals. It was just as pathetic as it sounds. It took him a good three or four days to remember how to play again. By the end of a week they were building Legos and riding their bikes again. I got them back on their summer workbooks and we went to the library. We've been to the pool and had playdates with our friends. My kids can have conversations that do not involve Super Mario Brothers. I think we are making real progress here.

And we went to the county fair for the first time.

It was crazy hot and super expensive. The kids ran in a sweaty pack and begged to go on almost every ride they saw. It was loud and bright and trashy and magical all at the same time. We loved it.

I especially liked the exhibit halls where we saw quilts and portraits, tables of candies and cookies, preserves and Lego creations. Jack and Sawyer are already planning their entries for next year.

And so fun to see a friend's entry with a first place ribbon!

I recently had a meal with some really awesome ladies. Some really awesome ladies who have raised some really awesome kids (Hi Jacie! Hi Nancy! Hi Kathy! And hi Emily- your awesome kids are coming!). The topic of technology came up and I was left thinking that I'm on the right track with this cold turkey thing. Nothing like a panel of mothers to validate your intuition and keep your spirits high- thanks y'all!

So even though I am not cool enough to give my kids a Wii, I am cool enough to take my kids to the fair. To coordinate playdates and spend my afternoons at the pool. To read books and find missing Lego pieces. To listen. To give my time.

It took about two weeks for the kids to stop asking about the Wii. Maybe it will come out again briefly in the dead of winter, for a special occasion.

Then again, there's a lot of fun to be had in the winter. So maybe it won't.

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