Watch Over Their Hearts

I know I am overstating the obvious when I say that technology has had a profound effect on our lives and our children's academic learning. Certainly there are too many benefits to list here, and that is not the point of this post. What I am becoming more aware of are the negatives.

In my last year of teaching, I was surrounded by some of the most amazing kids. Unfortunately, a good number of these eleven and twelve year olds seemed more concerned with texting, Facebooking, and video games than with their school work and learning. This obsession seemed to perpetuate a craziness of gossip, lack of sleep, and more missing or poor quality assignments than I had seen in my 13 years of teaching. And these kids came from good families.

I can't help but wonder if we, as parents, are too busy, too tired, too sucked in ourselves, or too blinded to tackle this issue head on.

It seems that we are in an age where spending more time in front of a screen than interacting with people or reading the Bible is the overwhelming norm. I can't help but wonder if this is contributing to the fact that we are getting further and further away from living according to God's will and more and more comfortable with the ways of this world.

If we adults are struggling with this problem, what is going on with our children?

Last night, at church, a fellow homeschooling mom shared that all her sister wants to do is play video games all day. Her sister is at the end of her high school career, but she does not seem interested in completing it.

Why is this? Why is the distraction of video games more alluring than all other things?

In the last few weeks, my eleven and eight year old have started playing Mindcraft, and they love it. But I am seeing some very scary things surface. They seem addicted to it…like they (((have to))) play it or check on their building so it doesn't get deleted.

Are we addicted? Are our children addicted?

A couple weekends ago, I observed my friend's 7th grade daughter interact with her phone. She could not seem to help but check it every minute. She seemed more consumed with interacting with her phone than the people around her. It was as if she was getting a fix from checking her phone. Now, this is a girl who comes from a very loving family.

Are we addicted to our technology to the point where it is distracting us from the most important things in our lives? God, our husbands, our children, our higher calling?

Are our children more consumed with interacting with their phones, video games, or iPods than interacting with their family, reading His word, playing outdoors using only their imagination?

Is our "family time" time when we are all sitting in the same room but each person is plugged into their device, therefore ignoring our family?

Are we raising children who will value screen time more than time with their spouse and children, or have lack the motivation to work?

Are we raising boys who will value technology more than time and intimacy with their wife or children? Are we raising daughters who will get their satisfaction from technology rather than time with God, their husband, or their children?

I can't help but wonder…

We are taught in Proverbs 22:6 to Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. As parents we have an important job.

In fact Deuteronomy helps us to relate the Word to our daily lives. Verses 4-9 are very clear in our responsibility as parents.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

Are we able to accomplish this teaching and training when we are so distracted by technology ourselves? Are our children receiving the teaching and training from us, parents, if they are too busy or distracted by their gadgets?

So many questions…but so important to think about as parents.

Here are some simple things we have done to show and tell our kids that we value personal interaction and are committed to guarding their hearts:

• No video or iPod games during the week (at all)
• Only one hour of video and iPod games each day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
• No use of phones or iPods in the car (at all) unless we are on a road trip (and even then only for limited time)

Before publishing this post, I read this article titled Where to Invest a Child's Time, and it confirmed the importance of our diligence as parents. We need to be intentional in our time management, and watch over our children's hearts.

Blessings,
Keira