My Media Fast

Guest blogger: Sarah Kinghorn

As part of May's Mentoring Moms I chose the goal of a media fast: no television, radio, and internet for 21 days.



What I Learned

Television

Since I do not usually watch a lot of TV, giving it up wasn’t too difficult for me. It was hard, however, for me for the kids to go without TV.

Radio

I learned that the first thing I do right after I start the car is turn on the radio. This really surprised me because it had become so automatic I didn't even know I was doing it. There was a lot less "noise" in the car. It wasn't quiet though, because I talked, sang, and laughed more with my kids.

Internet

This was probably the hardest thing for me to go without since it was my main form of communication and social interaction with people, over the age of 4. 



Satan has a powerful tool to use against
good people.It is distraction. He would have
good people fill life with "good things"
so there is no room for the essential ones.

~Richard G. Scott, First Things First,
Ensign, 2001 May, 6



I found this to be true for me with the internet. The internet allows us to connect with family and friends, which is a good thing, but for me it was becoming a distraction–taking time away from my family and the essentials. I didn't realize how much time I was spending on the internet until I stopped.



Some of the things I did during my “extra” time:


• Spent quality time with my kids. As a stay-at-home mom I am almost always with my kids but I am not always present. Instead of telling the kids to go play (so I could blog about them ;) I was playing with them.

• Read my scriptures on a more regular basis.
• Wrote in my journal 4 times (first time since August 2008)
.
• Scheduled and went to some overdue appointments (dentist, OBGYN)
.
• Completed some of the buggers on my to-do list.

Our society is fast-paced and everything needs to be done NOW.


Forms of communication that used to be the latest and greatest are not fast enough–mail to email to texting, tweeting, blogging, etc. 

There are some things that just take time and relationships are one of them.

• You can't text the sound of your baby's first laugh.
• You can't email the picnic in the backyard with your family.
• You can't post the feel of hugs and drool-y kisses.

Without the television or radio or computer on, life was much quieter even with a baby, a toddler, and a preschooler. The noise was gone and I was alone with my thoughts.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7

Sometimes the noise from the media can crowd out our own thoughts.

Now that I’ve completed my goal, does this mean that I’ve given up these things forever? Of course not. Will I be setting limits for myself and my kids?

Definitely.