1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,560 Page 236. Reading 2. 2 00:00:05,100 --> 00:00:10,020 Unplugging Wired Kids. A Vacation from Technology and Social Media. 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:12,300 The Momoir Project. 4 00:00:13,460 --> 00:00:19,080 It's day one of our vacation on Cortez, a remote island in the B.C. wilderness, 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,740 and my son is literally lying on the couch of our rustic A-frame, moaning, 6 00:00:24,980 --> 00:00:27,720 iPhone, iPhone, iPhone. 7 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:33,240 In front of him is a wall of windows facing a glistening ocean, 8 00:00:33,900 --> 00:00:38,180 and coming in from the open deck doors, a warm, beautiful breeze. 9 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,300 Clearly, he sees and feels none of it. 10 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,180 He's too deep in his electronics withdrawal. 11 00:00:45,340 --> 00:00:49,960 Back at home in Vancouver, after five minutes of listening to this kind of groveling, 12 00:00:50,260 --> 00:00:51,380 I'd normally relent. 13 00:00:51,980 --> 00:00:55,500 Instead of screaming, shut up, I'd hand it over in defeat. 14 00:00:55,500 --> 00:00:56,460 He'd win. 15 00:00:56,460 --> 00:00:57,840 Not here. 16 00:00:58,380 --> 00:01:00,300 We came here to get away from it all. 17 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:06,200 Our lives, technology, the constant pull of email, Facebook, video games, 18 00:01:06,380 --> 00:01:08,920 and the never-ending ping of the iPhone. 19 00:01:10,620 --> 00:01:14,240 Before we left, I told my ten-year-old son the rules. 20 00:01:14,860 --> 00:01:18,140 We were all going electronic-free for a week. 21 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:24,900 There could be a few movies on the odd night, but no TV, no video games, no email. 22 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:26,440 And here we are. 23 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,200 We're on day one, and already he can't stand it. 24 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,200 My six-year-old daughter and my husband are doing just fine. 25 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,360 They are outside on the deck, carving pieces of driftwood and singing. 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:44,480 Meanwhile, my son is inside, blinded to the opportunities in front of him, 27 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:47,160 complaining that he doesn't like the beach. 28 00:01:48,340 --> 00:01:51,320 Confounded, I walk outside to let him suffer. 29 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,820 I walk down the grassy pathway to the beach. 30 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:56,320 It's so sad. 31 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,760 It's so stunning, I can barely manage to read on my blanket. 32 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,760 I just want to stare out at the islands and the glistening ocean. 33 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,880 The eagles soar overhead, the seals pop their heads out of the water, 34 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,720 and there isn't another soul in sight. 35 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,400 My son can do whatever he wants, 36 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,480 but he's not going to ruin the quiet and beauty of this trip for me. 37 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:20,880 Day two. 38 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:26,240 We spend the entire morning and part of the afternoon digging for clams 39 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,600 and oysters, and swimming in the lagoon. 40 00:02:29,460 --> 00:02:33,560 My son is one with his shovel, looking for the smallest clams, 41 00:02:33,940 --> 00:02:37,020 and filling buckets with shellfish and other sea treasures. 42 00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:41,080 When we get back to our cabin, I give my son his book, 43 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,980 put him in the shade on a lovely garden swing, 44 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,160 and it's almost dinner when he looks up. 45 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,720 The next few days pass in a blur of sun and sand. 46 00:02:52,460 --> 00:02:56,420 My husband ensures we do something every day to get out of the cabin, 47 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:57,300 and explore. 48 00:02:58,020 --> 00:03:02,340 One day, we all spend an afternoon swimming at the freshwater lake. 49 00:03:02,940 --> 00:03:07,660 Another day, my husband takes my son on a three-hour hike around the headland. 50 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:13,480 On day six, he's lying beside me on the beach, watching the sunset. 51 00:03:14,300 --> 00:03:15,800 We are wrapped together in a blanket, 52 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,060 and as I watch him play with the sand in his hands, 53 00:03:19,460 --> 00:03:21,380 the grains slipping through his fingers, 54 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:26,020 I realize how much time has slowed down for both of us. 55 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,720 It's exactly what I wanted. 56 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,960 Finally, after just a few days, 57 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,000 we are able to sit quietly without twitching, 58 00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:36,880 without thinking about screens, 59 00:03:37,420 --> 00:03:41,040 without the constant interruptions of phone calls and e-mail. 60 00:03:42,340 --> 00:03:45,120 Two hours pass, and in that time, 61 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,820 he happily throws rocks into the water, 62 00:03:48,500 --> 00:03:50,820 listens to a man play guitar down the beach, 63 00:03:51,260 --> 00:03:53,740 plays frisbee in the grassy field behind us. 64 00:03:54,900 --> 00:03:55,860 He's too young to see it, but he's able to do it. 65 00:03:55,860 --> 00:03:55,920 He's too young to see it, but he's able to do it. 66 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:56,020 He's too young to see it, but he's able to do it. 67 00:03:56,020 --> 00:03:56,080 He's too young to see it, but he's able to do it. 68 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:56,420 He's too young to see it, but he's able to do it. 69 00:03:56,420 --> 00:03:58,240 He's too young to see it, but it's clear to me. 70 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,680 A week away from our dependence on electronics, 71 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:03,980 and we've slowed right down. 72 00:04:04,860 --> 00:04:06,120 We are breathing deeper, 73 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,480 and literally noticing the grains of sand. 74 00:04:10,420 --> 00:04:11,640 Life is good. 75 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:14,620 If only we could live on vacation. 76 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,060 How do you handle the influx of technology in your house? 77 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:20,840 How do your kids handle it? 78 00:04:21,500 --> 00:04:24,720 Do you ever feel the need for a vacation from technology?