Powering Off

I am embarrassed to admit that my family is horribly and utterly addicted to technology.  This realization comes after several devices we own have gone on strike in the past week and my stress level rose far beyond what it should have been.

On Friday, our wireless router went down.  My first thought was, "I'm so glad I got my last post up before the weekend!"  Brian worked for about eight hours to get it back up and running since Internet is a necessity, right? 

Tuesday, I had to fill out some volunteer information so I can help out in Brian's kindergarten class while we were visiting his school for Open House.  Luke insisted on being able to use his own computer in the school lab.  At two years of age, he has decided computer time is something to fight for and worth pitching a very public fit over in order to retain sole rights to the mouse. 

Ethan has been frantically searching for all the rechargeable batteries because he hates waiting for a set to recharge and would like them all done at once.  This did not happen last week when the Xbox controller ran out of power and I think he stared at the charger for a good part of the day obsessively waiting for the little "charging now" light to go off.

Brian also left his cell phone and charger in his dad's car a week ago and hence had to do without his phone for a couple days.  When he got it back, I felt life was as it should be until his battery ran out and we realized that we failed to retrieve the charger too.  Several more days without an operating cell phone passed. 

My phone started screaming for more power on Monday which had me frantically looking for my charger.  The panic was akin to the crazed look I'm sure I had at two in the morning just weeks after having Ethan when he was screaming bloody murder and nothing I could do in my delirious state would make the infant submit to normal, decent human hours i.e sleeping at night.  Yes, the charger meant that much to me at that moment.

We don't have a home phone so we are entirely dependent on our cell phones so while that may be some excuse for our addiction, I have to consistently point out to myself that people lived without them for many years and survived and if I happen to forget it when we leave the house, it is not, in fact, the end of the world.  But, I am still as attached to that thing as Luke is to his pacifier.  Apparently, technological items are the new security blanket.  And that takes me right back to my own psychological issues and that will give me something to think about as I try to not hit all the power buttons around me quite as often and try to enjoy the silence.