When was the last time you spent quality time with your family with no interruptions, electronics, phones or distractions? Did you even do it this past holiday weekend?
In this day of technology it is so hard for us to “unplug.” The greatest gift I have ever been given is observing a day of rest.
Whether you are religious or not, the ability to shut off for 24 hours and focus on family is something that can really enrich your life. The Jewish Sabbath, known as Shabbat, starts at sunset Friday night and ends 25 hours later on Saturday night. For 25 hours, we don’t drive, use electricity or electronics (that’s right, no computers or cellphones!), spend money or write.
We sit down with family and friends for dinner on Friday night and then Saturday we go to synagogue where we spend most of the morning with members of our close-knit community. After the prayer service has ended, we have lunch with friends, at their home or ours.
The later afternoon is filled with board games, hanging out and talking. Resting. Reading. Kids have play dates and meet-ups at the park. It is truly the best reboot I could ever ask for!
The Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg looks at the digital future of the world each year and in their 2012 report, the data points to increasing virtual interactions and significantly less face-to-face time (no, FaceTime doesn’t count!).
The percentage of Internet users who said they spend less face-to-face time with family in their household has grown dramatically, from a low of 8 percent in 2000 to a peak of 34 percent in the two most recent surveys. — USC Annenberg
A big aspect of Shabbat is sitting down as a family at the dining room table.
I believe that eating together is so important because of competing distractions. There all sorts of activities outside the home competing with the constant bombardment of notifications, pings, likes and pokes from modern technology. During the day most of us are out in the community mixing with all kinds of people. Our children are learning about the world from others and even when everyone is home, individuals do their own thing.
Sitting around eating at the table is perhaps the only opportunity of the day to talk with each other.
It is so nice to have a slow meal, with no time constraints. No carpool or swim meet. We start the meal with a few blessings and one of our favorite family connecting practices as we eat is to share our high, low and hero from the past week. For a few minutes, everyone gets a moment to share the highlights, low points and hero from the week! Once you finish your turn you get to choose who goes next. We even give our one year old a turn.
Try out this amazing Day of Rest gift and have your family go electronic-free for 24 hours. Strive to really connect.
Here are some ideas:
- Take a walk
- Read stories
- Play a card or board game
- Do an art project together
- Cook together
- Have a nice dinner
Whether you take a day of rest for religious reasons or not, it is so important to find time to really connect with your loved ones. Give yourself some space away from your phone or computer and just be present with your family.
