Today we are talking about 12 things we do not do in our family:
#1 - No smartphones - This has been one of the most positively impactful things for the overall culture of our home and family.
#2 - Children don’t get dropped off at a friend’s house or have sleepovers - Even if you know the family really well, you never know who is going to be stopping by or what might be in the home that the parents might not be aware of.
#3 - Own two cars - Only one family car. This has encouraged us to be home more and make our home a place of rest, rejuvenation and ministry.
#4 - No battery powered toys - It overstimulates the kids and us as parents. Our children have no shortage of fun in their life, but that does not require battery powered, obnoxious, stress-inducing toys.
#5 - No TV, iPads or tablets - We love having a home that is not dictated by what we want to watch or what’s on a screen and having that be the main influencer and driver to the home. We want to eliminate the distractions in our life that are not serving us.
#6 - No graphic tees or clothing - It’s so much more restful to look at your children in restful colors. As parents we are already stimulated by a lot of little people. They are already stimulated by themselves and a lot of stuff going on.
#7 - No children’s church - Our children sit with us during the service. We feel like it’s so crucial to exemplify to our children that they are part of the church.
#8 - No internet on Saturdays - Saturdays are our Sabbath day. Part of that is excluding the external noises, pressures and distractions of the outside world. It is a big mental rest for us!
#9 - No individualized sports - We have found that when you get your kids plugged in to sports, it immediately starts tearing the family apart. When you look at the times of the practices, games, tournaments and team activities, they really interfere with the most precious and integral parts of the home flow. Dinner/meal times, evening times, weekends and Sabbath are all taken over by the sports team or activity.
#10 - No “kid” food or prepackaged snacks - We do fruits and vegetables for snacks. We eat all together as a family so if they aren’t loving the curry, they can have more rice with butter and have it a little bit more bland. This has expanded our children’s palettes. They like a wide variety of food. There’s always something on their plate that they can eat more of once they finished the little helpings Katie has served for them.
#11 - Minimal evening commitments that are over the time of dinner - Dinner is such a valuable and precious time for our home culture. We are convinced that so many families are destroyed by overcommitting to good things. Your family is the one that’s sacrificed in the midst of those things.
#12 - No eating after dinner - Nothing you eat after dinner is good for you. It sabotages your health and sleep. We have found that, that is where the junk food came into play. It wasn’t helping our circadian rhythms, health goals, sleep or budget.
Mentioned in video:
- Getting Rid of Our Smartphones - https://youtu.be/0yzNNR2jcMU
- ONE YEAR Without Smartphones. Are we going back? - https://youtu.be/wsltwEAUqGk
- Technology and Teens // Biblical Parenting with Jodi Mockabee of The Whole & Healthy Family - https://youtu.be/r3kJsRc-wEg
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Timestamps:
00:00-1:11 - Intro
1:11-1:29 - No smartphones
1:29-2:32 - No friend’s houses or sleepovers
2:32-6:00 - One family car
6:00-7:14 - No battery powered toys
7:14-8:30 - Homeschool course discount
8:30-10:08 - No TV, iPads or tablets
10:08-11:15 - No graphic tees/clothing
11:15-12:00 - No children’s church
12:00-12:44 - No internet on Saturdays
12:44-15:00 - No individualized sports
15:00-16:07 - No “kid” food
16:07-18:29 - Minimal evening commitments
18:29-19:33 - No eating after dinner
19:33-20:05 - Closing