Join Them & Beat Them

If you can't beat them: 

1.    Join them…  together.

2.    Once they are together…  beat them.

The Conflict with Chronic Electronics.

Electronics are constant and they are everywhere.  At our house we can’t help but use them even to text or inbox each other when we are in the same place.  That is funny, but the worst part is when my kids (well, all of us) are plugged away... far, far, away from each other… in our rooms.  This reminds me of the word in Spanish: enajena

  ----When I was a kid my neighbor would say in Spanish:  “La television te enajena”.  She describes the same scenario about TV and being far away.  “Ajeno” means belonging to someone else, foreign, separated.  Adding the “en” means to become that. ---

We have not had a TV since before the digital transition, but we have plenty of pins, posts, searches, and downloads to keep the alienation. I joined a long time ago.  

1.  Join Them ...

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These mini cords are used to free up strip outlets.  The ones I have are clear, light up, come in a variety of colors, and they are very inexpensive ($4 pack).  The larger surge protection stick is hidden under the table.

... Together.

I need family contact.

I need their presence at the table even if it’s plugged.

I gather them by offering electrical power outlets for all their gadgets. 

The table accommodates for twelve chairs.  It is made out of two oversized doors and four large trims discarded from a church that was turned into storage for a retail store.  There was a hole left on the table where the doorknob was.  We used it to run a cluster of short power extension cords that allows us to connect cell phone chargers, laptops, and the rest of our chronics.  Instead of a flower vase or a bowl of fruits we have an electric bouquet.

2.  Beat Them

To deal with electronic abuse we have allocated Sunday as a no-technology-day and we put away everything for family dinners and board game nights.  Our dinner conversations have always been lengthy and enjoyable, but lately they are more stimulating and overly intellectual that at some point I have to just stay quiet and listen to them with admiration, ahem, I don't mean to brag but,  these are some smart kids.    

The game boards are just underneath stored in a large drawer which is the box frame of the table. 

This is what I mean by beating them, not only because we are going to power down, but because I am really good at board games, ahem, ahem.