A Week After My Internet Ban
It’s been just over a week a go since I took up a challenge set by one of the presenters of my local Heart FM radio breakfast show.I spoke to Jez and Molly, the presenters of the radio show (Molly blogs over at Mother’s Always Right) about how dependent we are on the internet.After 15 minutes of chatting, me and Molly finally agreed to a 24 hour ban from Friday 8pm until Saturday 8pm. What had I done? I then crowd sourced questions on my Facebook personal page, a blogging forum and G+ how would others feel if they had a ban from the internet and do they think they would cope? The general consensus was it couldn’t be done.Since the internet brought the world into everyone’s life, friends and family, ease of shopping, finding information and the social aspect were many of the reasons people relied on the internet. So with not much time to prepare I spent much of Friday using social media to strike up conversations about mine and Molly’s impending ban.What I should have done was prepared blog posts, finished blog posts.But no, I just wasted time and faffed about. 
Friday night came and my wifi was disconnected and my phone was hidden away as I had a barrage of messages every 20 minutes for 4 hours that night.I turned it off in the end.I spent the evening looking through recipe books and starting my menu planning whilst actually watching telly without having a conversation on Twitter, Facebook, G+. I missed it.I missed the ability to watch and take part in conversations online.I don’t get out much and those people who I chat on a daily basis are there when I want to share something exciting, a parenting concern, sadness and laughter.And I’m there for them. Saturday morning I was still looking through recipe books.I usually do a 4 day menu plan with the kids on Sundays but by the afternoon I had a whole week and puddings sorted.Something I have never done on my own.We had lentils 3 times last week.I had both slow cookers filled by 10 o’clock.When the kids left with the ex I decided to rearrange the kitchen.I arranged two kitchen cupboards and two drawers.I also filled all the glass kilner jars I’ve collected over the months with dried goods.The whole flat was clean and tidy.There was only the ironing to do.
But by 2 o’clock I was knackered and I decided to watch telly.I never watch daytime telly unless it’s Mouse’s programs and I’m usually faffing around online then.So I found an American cop show, no idea what it was called but it had Skeet Ulrich in it who I remember from Scream. I fell asleep.I woke up at 4, waiting for the return of the kids who spend Saturdays with the ex.Clock watching began.The kids returned.We ate dinner.They marvelled at my days work and they began to clock watch.And count down. I was on edge and I really do think I have become too absorbed with my online use.I used it fleetingly when I was working at home.Then my work at home job fell through just before the older kids returned to school after the holidays and Mouse started preschool every day. Would I do it again? No. Did I get anything from it? Yes.Will I change my time online? Probably not.
You can hear my interview with Molly here
 |
Related Posts
-
Mairi
-
http://www.mothersalwaysright.com/ Molly
