It’s the nature of mothering (and life)  that some years are more hectic than others.  I took a hiatus after my previous post after I was promoted to Senior Technical Writer in my company,  we moved from the city to a small rural community, I began to work from home more (though my commute is actually easier now) and we even bought a dog!

For while this blog is called HiTech Mother, and clearly relates to technology and parenting, it is about how we can use and manage technology in our lives, which includes knowing when to step back a little.

Some examples from our family are:

We completely disconnect for 24 hours every weekend – we turn off our cells and laptops and store them away and instead we enjoy meals together, read real paper books, take walks and generally hang out.  It is a pleasure not to wonder whose phone is buzzing at the table….

In the summers we go camping for a few days, and while we do let the kids take their phones, due to the isolated nature reserves we camp in there’s usually poor reception and nowhere to recharge their phones, so they think carefully before they switch them on.  Instead of the clicks and buzzes, we hear crickets and birds, and the low murmers of other campers.  My son plays his guitar by the campfire and all is peaceful….

How and when do you unplug?