“We leave at quarter to 12,” I yelled up the stairs to the supposed-to-be-getting-ready-to-go teens.
“What does that even mean?” my teenage daughter quizzed back. “Don’t you mean 11:45? What is this ‘quarter to’ stuff?” “Why don’t you tell time like everyone else?”
I realized something later as I reflected on this conversation. My teenagers have grown up in a mostly “digital” world; they only tell time from a digital perspective. I, on the other hand, grew up in a mostly “analog” world, and can actually tell time from looking at a round clock with hour, minute and second hands!
This has made me ponder other differences between my “Digital” offspring and my “Analog” upbringing. I realized that my generation… (a proud member of Gen X) has a distinct advantage of having been raised with an analog childhood and learning to adapt and exist in the now digital world.
Not only can we tell time with the clock – and move effortlessly from “quarter to” and “half past”, we can easily translate 11:45 and 10:30. We can fire off a handwritten thank you note (thank you mom for making me!), while we can also send emails and texts, complete with spelling and punctuation (most of the time).
We have searched through cookbooks, stained with remains from long ago creations, maybe even held a recipe card, handwritten– of course, in our hands. But we know, too, how to scour the internet for ideas for what to make for dinner with just three ingredients we happen to have in our pantry.
We have planted seeds, harvested veggies and herbs (maybe even a pumpkin or zucchini), and maybe even learned how to can and preserve homemade jam. We have even turned some of these old-fashioned skills into “canning parties” with our friends… turning the floors sticky with the spills of dozens of jars of canned peaches (that taste like sunshine!). But we’ve also delighted in the ease of online grocery shopping & home delivery with a few clicks of our mouse.
We have held a needle and thread in our hands, maybe only during those awkward years of high school Home Ec. class, to sew on a button. Maybe it was learning to hammer a nail, or the art of plastic injection molding, or metal foundry in our Shop class. Even if ever so briefly, we learned to create something with our hands. But we also mastered the digital tools of spreadsheets, spell check and maybe even dabbled in AI.
Statistics concerning the amount of daily digital interactions and the rise of depression and anxiety in our children is, well… concerning. There is much discussion about the advantages of moving away from the digital experience and becoming more analog. I can resonate with that. However, I feel it would be naive to believe that the digital is going away (apart from a complete apocalypse). So, what are we to do?
I think having one foot in the analog world, and the other in the digital world has some advantages. Surely, our digital tools can be used to improve our analog days. How can I harness this in my homeschool day to help my children see the whole picture more effectively?
Our current society is set to a digital default. We automatically reach for a device to answer any question we have. We depend on our digital tools to do most everything. Ever reach for a map instead of your GPS to find your way? How about when you need a flashlight… do you go hunting for one in your junk drawer, or quickly whip out your phone from your back pocket?
To make a step closer to a slower, more analog-y day, you’re going to need to be more intentional. I’m not sure what this looks like for you, but for me it means making decisions to use my time in different ways.
Make Something
My childhood was filled with memories of my grandmother’s quilts. They were on every bed, and her quilting frame quickly turned her dining room into a quilting bee with her friends all gathered around adding their stitches to her quilt. It was functional and it was hemmed with community. I learned to quilt by inheriting an appreciation for it.
After my first son was born, a few neighborhood friends decided to take a beginning quilting class at a local shop and we all escaped for an evening every week (I needed the escape from a colicky baby!) Once again, it was a functional, practical use of time and stitched together with community. The methods may change, but the outcome is the same.
Fast forward about 28 years, and I am now passing down the quilting tradition with my daughters. It took some intention, and several years of “thinking about it” but we made an important decision. Instead of spending most of our school days drowning in curriculum and online lessons, checking the boxes and building a transcript, we joined our church’s Quilting Ministry. What better way to inspire the next generation than to connect them with the previous generation, filled with skills they can’t wait to pass on!
Just one meeting in, and my daughters were oohing and ahhing over the quilts that these women were making to donate to those in need. Purpose and passion was on display for them to see. It was contagious to say the least. Now they are proudly designing, cutting, sewing and stitching their own creations… all to give away. It has been a very valuable, and intentional shift in our time priorities. A shift that brought us back to tangible outcomes that we can see and feel.
Tend to it
Our children need to feel the weight of responsibility in real and tangible ways. The digital day doesn’t carry the same weight. One of the best ways to do this, in my opinion, is to give them something to tend. A couple of ideas to get you started:
A pet– Over the years we have had dozens of animal visitors to our home. Cats, dogs, hamsters, frogs, lizards… you name it. Unforgettable experiences of watching the miracle of metamorphosis, which turned into a seven (yes…SEVEN) year science experiment on our kitchen counter and included a cross-country move and several family grave-side services recalling the survivor instincts of our beloved amphibian pets. The time we found a left-behind 1 week old feral kitten and bottle fed her round-the-clock for weeks! The very real chore of “dog duty,” (which everyone seems surprised needs attention daily.) Pets have introduced the weight of responsibility, taught diligence and provided endless enjoyment (and heartbreak) for real-life lessons.
Grow something - Few projects have been more enjoyable in our homeschool than the process of planting seeds and watching them grow. You don’t need a big acre-sized garden like I grew up weeding. You can start with a couple of pots on a sunny windowsill. Even as an adult, with plenty to tend to, I get a huge delight watching plants grow. Herbs are an easy introduction, then once you catch on, go for some giant sunflowers and see your children’s eyes pop! Plants teach them very down-to-earth lessons about taking care of something outside of themselves. Let them get some dirt under their fingernails to teach them some good old analog lessons. (Plus, nothing tastes better than a veggie you grew yourself - just ask me, the proud California fruit farmer of the sweetest orange I ever did eat!)
Chores - “No one is more hopeful than a mother with a new chore chart”, a quote I read long ago, still makes me chuckle and nod. But seriously, our children need to be seen as contributing and necessary members of the family. Chores help teach this in very solid ways. If you live out in the country on any amount of land, you probably don’t have to think too hard to come up with age-appropriate chores for your children. But, if you live in suburbia with maintenance free landscaping, you may have to be more creative!
When our dishwasher succumbed to overuse (we have an unusal talent for killing dishwashers) we decided to hold off running out to purchase a new one. That decision introduced a new level of responsibility required for my children… dishes must get washed, over and over, several times a day!
After watching all the good conversations, and opportunities for character development that happen around the sink with dishtowels in hand, we decided NOT to replace it (at least until they all grow up 😃 ).
One reminder with chores, stand back and let them do it, even imperfectly. Sure, it takes longer, and you may end up doing it over, but do not jump in to fix it –let them do it.
I promise you, this is one area you will see the that the fruit of their labor pays off… big time!
Take a Hike
Have you noticed that the world outside your door is filled with analog wonder? Trees, birds, flowers, bugs… all analog. No digital glow, no beeping or buzzing - just vivid colors, amazing patterns, and full sensory input. So, ditch the device, put on your sweater, lace up your boots and take everyone outside for a hike! Open your eyes to what is surrounding you. Even in suburbia, you can find a place with trees and grass.
Squat down and really look at the ground… what detail there is in dirt! Look up at the sky– notice the colors, the clouds, feel the breeze (or not if you live in S. Texas!). Close your eyes and listen, what can you hear? God has designed an amazing place for us to live, all we need to do is have eyes to see and ears to hear. Make it part of every lesson plan, “Go outside,” then gleefully check it off as completed!
Living in a not-as-welcoming climate (TX), we had defaulted to time indoors in air-conditioned comfort and had slowly drifted away from being outside. Then, Covid happened and we all got a bit stir-crazy and had to get out the house before we hurt someone. We discovered that there were walking trails all over the place, we just hadn’t noticed them!
I encourage you to take a look around with new eyes. Don’t be afraid to spontaneously pack everyone (and a snack) into the car and go exploring. Stop being so rigid. Don’t let your school plan become a vise grip. You are in the driver’s seat to teach your children how to live life God’s way, not to blindly follow someone else’s prescribed path for you. (Someone who has no idea what is best for your family!)
Be daring, don’t be afraid to try new things! Our family made a radical shift in this with our move to rural CA. Now, we are outdoors more than we are inside–and everyone has developed stronger bodies and more appreciation for all that is waiting for them on the other side of the screen.
Pick up a Book
Many of my fondest memories over the past 24 years of homeschooling my children are centered around the books we shared together. As the world moves faster and faster at the digital pace, the slow art of reading aloud gets lost more and more. I want to encourage you to resist the trend toward digital books and e-readers and choose to make time for family reading together. I can’t stress enough all the benefits of this practice. I know you know it too. I want to encourage you to DO it. Splurge. Buy the books; they are treasures! You share them together and are building a priceless shared foundation that will last the rest of your lives.
Another benefit to books, you can hold them, smell them, and even decorate with them. (“A room without books is like a body without a soul” - Cicero) They are a tangible treasure to hold in your hands and your hearts.
Our read alouds have become part of the fabric of our family. Shared memories, inside jokes, and thousands of hours of time spent together. Isn’t that why we chose this journey? Keep reading out loud to your children, even when they are in high school! You are building a shared foundation that they will return to again and again.
On a side note, when planning your curriculum, resist the pull to all digital. I know it’s funny to hear a digital/analog science curriculum provider say that, but it’s important! Studies prove that children learn best with a variety of approaches. Make sure to keep some of your day working in the analog realm. Make sure they experience the learning by tasting, feeling, seeing, and hearing it - not just clicking the mouse.
Cook some international recipes, read together outside on the trampoline, pull out the dress-up bin and make a costume to go with the time period you are studying, play a board game together. Learn to play an instrument, take up a new artistic hobby, or start a business. Even into high school, creating hand-written notecards is still a very effective way to study! Make the time count by introducing more analog activities into every subject.
Break the Mold
Somewhere between my Home Ec. and Shop classes and today… we have developed a new mold, or definition, of what education is and should look like. It’s become a transcript, test scores, and college acceptance letter as our measure of success. I have learned that this is a BIG mistake!
I propose that you spend some good old analog time contemplating what you want your home education “mold” of success to look like. For us, it meant taking determined steps away from the common path. We are choosing to look more at the whole and not just some of the steps. And in it all, we are choosing to be more whole-hearted persons.
A wise person once told me that every “yes” to one thing, was a “no” to another. Our “yes” to some activities were saying “no” to others. Truly, there is no end to things like dual credit classes, endless evening activities, expensive enrichment activities. and heavy academic endeavors. They were creating a craving for more and more and more, and they were “nos” to valuable time spent together, “no” to creating (ever try to be creative on “schedule”, it seldom works for me!), and “no” to pursuing unique God-given passions.
Make a list of what activities occupy those precious hours between waking and sleeping. What are you really spending them on? Take a pen and paper, and in analog style - write down those big goals you have for your children. Keep this tangible reminder visible as you begin to plan your lessons. Be ruthless, cut out those things that don’t line up with or move you closer to those goals. Once I started to do this, it freed up so much time - both physically and emotionally.
I can’t tell you what intentional analog shift you need to make, but I’m sure it’s been simmering in your mind for a while now. This is your reminder to take that idea and bring it into reality. The clock is ticking for your family.
Remember, your children aren’t always going to be at this stage. They are going to grow up, this time comes way faster that you realize. Recognize the gift of the season you find yourself in. Embrace this time!
Take a step forward, maybe it’s quilting, maybe it’s canning, or building something, or growing something. There is a skill you grew up seeing and doing, and now it’s becoming just a memory. Take it out, dust if off, and make it real for your children… teach them how to do it or find someone who can. Give them a wonderful reason to put down the digital device and do something with their hands
Be Fearless
We hear it frequently: “The digital devices are having a negative effect on our children”, “anxiety and depression are rising”, “all my kids want to do is sit and watch reels” …. I don’t want to add another voice to that gloom and doom. But I want to encourage to you be fearless enough to make the change –and do it now.
Parents, we are the timekeepers of our homes. The Lord has given us the authority and the responsibility to use our time well. To do that, we need to fearlessly examine our choices.
We need to courageously step up to make the changes He is directing. So much of our time is being wasted worrying about what the co-op is doing, or what our friends are pursuing, or the fear of being behind. (Behind what?? Really, maybe this is all that you needed to read…).
Stop the spinning!
As I round the bend to my last years of homeschooling - I can see that light at the end of the tunnel shining brightly. Don’t wait. Take back your time with your family, before you don’t have the chance. Remember to keep the digital tools in their place, the beauty of the analog world is waiting for you to rediscover it!
Blessings,
Renita
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