Today’s environment is pretty easy when it comes to keeping a child busy. Just put the latest tech gadget in their hands and your free to cook and clean, shop at the mall, get some work done, or maybe watch TV and there is hardly any interruption.
Until that fleeting moment when your child becomes agitated because suddenly they are bored and the little tech gadget is no longer working. So now your frustrated too.
So you try to find something else to amuse them and carry on with your day.
I get it. Technology was supposed to make our lives easier so we would have more time to enjoy our lives and our family. Instead it is the opposite. Life has become fast paced and there never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything anything more.
Even with our jobs the technology has seeped in. Most corporations are telling us to get the job done quicker and your constantly learning some new tool or methodology. It keeps coming faster and faster and sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Even the simplest of jobs now require some type of technology training.
We are surrounded by endless gadgets and information that consume our time.
All you have to do is walk down the street and you see everyone staring at that phone in their hands while their walking. No one is paying attention to what is around them.
But there is a choice. Before technology became so intertwined in our lives, children played outside with their friends and rode their bikes. When I was a child, the first thing I did when I got home from school was grab a snack, my bike and I was gone playing with the other kids until supper time (and supper time always had a schedule…6 pm on the dot. And you made sure you were never late for that!
On Sunday the malls were not open, so you spent time cleaning up the house, reading a good book, going to the park, playing a board game with a family member. And there was always Sunday family dinners to look forward too.
My point is, take some time away from the phone and the computer and make time for the simpler things in life. Appreciate the here and now. Stay present in the moment. Plan a day a the park with your family and leave the cells phones at home. What’s the worst that could happen? Someone is texting, emailing or calling you and your not available for a couple of hours. Really, that’s ok.
That’s really what we are trying to achieve when we meditate. Focusing the mind to be in the present, the here and now. The best way to begin is to start incorporating other activities in your life that promote a healthier life style for the body and the mind for both you and your children.
Feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear your feedback.
