A Family 3-Week Challenge

On March 1st(of this year, of course), I put our whole family under a challenge that should last for three weeks. Because challenge is on a time limit, I really shouldn't be on here but I just thought I needed to record this for future reference.

What's this challenge?

The challenge is that the whole family stay off the TV, X-box and computer for three weeks. So for three whole weeks, no one is allowed to watch TV, play on the X-box or computer. Harsh? Hmmmmm...that's what the kids were whining about when I first announced the challenge. Oh you should hear all the moaning and complaining. My 16 year old son practically blurted out that his life is literally over.

The challenge was supposed to help my boys, especially to do better in school and in Chris' case, for him to get out the house and do more outdoor activities.

And no, it is not harsh at all if you think about it. There are actually exceptions to this challenge. The kids can use the computer for school purposes, I can still use the computer for other things, as long as no one is playing nonsense games on here or just wasting time away on the computer, therefore all networking sites are restricted from anyone. The TV watching is limited to only family night if someone has a movie they want to play for the family as part of their FHE lesson...same goes for the X-box.

The first week was kinda tough...I have to literally turn off our Internet if I was out of the house and the kids are home(is it bad that I'm implying I didn't trust my kids? because I didn't...my kids had a way of doing just the opposite of what I tell them to do.) So here we are in our second week and I have to say it's a lot easier than the first. The kids have found other more creative ways to entertain themselves, the computer is actually being used for more useful purposes other than games and incessant online chatting. Our TV has been quiet for over a week now. Can you anyone say "blissful PEACE"?

Seriously, it's so totally quiet and more pleasant now than I've ever remembered my house to be. Our weekday afternoons and evenings are not as chaotic and noisy as they used to be. I can actually talk to my kids in the living room from my kitchen without raising my voice a few octave above normal to be heard above the loud sound of the TV. I think my kids have finally consented to comply since they figure it's three weeks and the sooner they participate without problem, the faster the days would fly by and the sooner the challenge will be over. I wonder how they'd react if they found out that I seriously love this quiet atmosphere that this challenge has brought to our home and I am contemplating making it a permanent thing, well at least the TV watching part though.


What is the purpose of this challenge? someone may be wondering...

Mainly, I just want to show my kids that we don't need to depend on these electronic gadgets for everything and I also want to show them that there's a whole world of fun/possibilities outside of this technical/electronic that they seem to think their world revolves around. And for my boys, especially who are so fixated on the virtual world that their school work is suffering because they are not doing their homework, that technology is not created only for just games, that using the computer(Internet) for school purposes is actually fun if you take the time to really see it for what it can do and actually done something worthwhile, productive and useful and come away with a feeling of accomplishment.

Hopefully by the end of this challenge, the kids will see what I am trying to accomplish with them. Like I said, the atmosphere in our house right now is so much better and more peaceful than before.