Technology ~ Is it robbing us?

Sometimes it's interesting how things find you at a pertinent moment in life.  Just this week on a premature baby forum i am part of, a lady posted a link to this blog post.  It's not the first time in the last little while i've seen something like this.  I was reminded of this post by Carrie @ Live, Learn & Love Together.  I was so sad to read it, but could completely understand her position.

Unfortunately i think it is too easy to fall into the black hole of the internet.  I will just sit down and do x invariably turns into an hour and several rabbit trails.  In the past i have really tried to keep myself in check, open new tabs for the rabbit trail and come back to them another time but we all fall off the bandwagon at some point and need that reality check to get us back on track.

I'd like to think that i use technology intentionally.  I certainly don't spend hours chatting on the phone.  Clearly i don't spend hours and hours editing photo's and making my blog pretty and perfect.  Sometimes i don't even get to edit posts before hitting publish (sorry for the typo's and missed auto-corrects!).  But i do 'surf' the net and research 'stuff' and Facebook and get caught up in threads on message boards (homeschool or prem baby related).

It's all relevant and justified but it is a huge time sap and i have to wonder, is it robbing me?  Does the benefit of all this gained knowledge really help me?  What could i do with this time?

Well, i could spend more time 'playing' with my kids.  I could spend more time cleaning the house or cooking.  I could spend more time on 'Amber's Knowledge Quest', or reading, or sewing, or ... anything really.

BUT, i can't help but wonder is this just a new crisis in the ever changing world.  Were parents of previous generations really engaged in their children's lives?  There was the era of 'children will be seen and not heard'.  There was the time where mothers slaved for hours hand washing clothes.  Did they really have more time and inclination to engage in their children's lives?

I am not by any stretch suggesting that not engaging is a good thing, or normal.  I am just highlighting that it isn't limited to the current generations technology time sap, it's just that the time sap has become a new thing using up peoples time if they let it.

So, i'd like to challenge my readers to really have a good hard look at the time you spend with technology, whatever your black hole might be and make sure your being intentional about that time and not robbing yourself and your children.  Before you know it your kids will walk out the door.  What will they remember about you?