I am serious.
Social media could rule your world.
Yet, there it is – social media – out there. All the time. Tweet. Pin. Like. Email. Update. Plus. Share. Stumble. Retweet. Favorite. And again. And again. It’s like the legos that I spend so much time picking up from the floor in my boys room – no matter how many times I seem to pick them up there always seems to be one more.
Just one more tweet, it’s no big deal, right?
Yet, here I am, sitting down in my family room, thinking about that social media giant that sits in our lives. I’m frustrated at myself for sitting at the computer, nodding yes, and mumbling those in a minutes to my little ones. What was so important this morning that trumped my family?
Was it a tweet? A like? A pin?
I could vanish. I could never blog again and fade into the social media vortex of never-ending information. Over time I’d fade and finding joy would fade and it would be this wonderful memory of what was. Something new would come. And don’t worry, I’m not planning on fading, it’s just an example…
But, here’s the deal – my family – I will never ever be able to vanish from the memories of my family. They won’t really care at all that I was pinned or liked or tweeted or mentioned while they were growing up. They’ll remember. Do I want the memories to be of me sitting in front of a laptop glancing up at them here and there watching time slip away? Or do I want to be real? Active. Engaged. Down on their levels. Reading stories. Doing crafts. Being a mom. A mom where they come first.
I need to decide. You must decide as well.
There’s a time to close the lapbook, shut off the phone, turn off the tv, ignore the tweets, pin no more.
Social media could rule your world.
Don’t let it.
Rule your social media instead.
They can’t wait. The pins, tweets, likes, updates, stumbles, and emails can.
Family first.
Always.
***
a huge thank you to my daughter hannah for these pics
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29 comments
Well said and so true. I was out to dinner with book club friends a couple of nights ago. A young couple sat at the table next to us. Both of them had their smart phones up in their hand the entire time, even when they were eating. They didn’t speak at all, except to show the other something on their miniscule screen. It was a sobering example of what society is coming to…..and it’s not a good thing, at all.
I just stumbled onto your blog the other day and this post is resonating with me. I actually deleted my facebook account, twitter account and google plus account in Feburary.. Things were better for a while.. but then I spent more time hanging out on pintrest which I kept because I was (at the time) using it well and not letting it suck time from me.. I am in need of setting some online restrictions and being more present!
thank you so much for this post. it’s just what I needed as a reminder today. i often find myself saying those “just a minute”s. reading one blog, one tweet, one update turns into 10 then responding to them turns into more time sitting in front of my laptop. We don’t have kids yet, but I plan to use my blog to document those milestones we’ll experience and want them to be available for my kids to read later on…but memories have to be MADE away from blogging, tweeting, pinning, etc. 🙂
thanks for sharing!
Your blog is such a labor of love … and a beautiful tribute to your family.
Don’t forget that, yes keep it in check … but your words and photos and thoughts are a gift to the people who read them and to your family who will have them forever xxx
I came to the same realization this week. I am in the works of shutting down my blog and facebook for the last time. I have found my family is hurting because of social media. I wasn’t ever that into Facebook and my blog is not that popular, but it still takes time. Those I follow are now cut in half. So, it is a time to see what happens.
Great Post!
amen and amen. way too many times I do a ‘quick check’ on facebook or some other site and then end up wasting an entire hour on the computer that I could have spent doing something profitable. like spending time with my family or doing something that’s REAL. I am adding the goal to rule my social media rather than vice versa to my year to-do list.
xx.
Amen, sistah!
Honestly glad this was not an issue when I was in the midst of raising ours. There were other distractions..but none so strong as social media.
The time is so short with your children at home.
*sigh*
It;s so easy to get wrapped up in it…I dont tweet on purpose, and only check pinterest a few times a week….but I do blog and am on Facebook and my job is part of this social media world…it’s always a challenge. I downsized my on-line job and only post once a week lately…but I’d prefer twice…thing is there never is a time to do it where I am not taking time away from them. It’s always a challenge. My husband always tells me big rocks, then little rocks (ever heard that one?). Family is definitely a big rock but I struggle with balancing that big rock with the social media rock that earns me money (design and photography–both bring me to the computer and FB). Anyway…thanks for letting me ramble and sorry I did! A great post, as always!
I 100 percent agree, Rachel! I’m thankful I did not stumble on social media when my children were little. It is hard enough to balance family and being online with them all in double digits.
I like the irony under the comment section the “like” “tweet” “share” etc….I don’t do any of those and know many people who lives revolve around them…so sad
That’s so true 🙂 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
Just had to add a comment here — to the anonymous commenter — I totally agree with the irony of the like, tweet, etc…under the comments. That being said, it was way too much work to remove them for this post versus keep them. I think it’s all balance. Learning when to use social media and when to stop.
Blessings!
One word: AMEN. Social media already is ruling half the people in America. It saddens me that back in the day social time was talking over coffee, sitting on your neighbor’s front porch and chatting, writing letters, having little get togethers. And now? Everyone is constantly on their phone, texting, tweeting, facebooking, emailing.
I think there should be a challenge to go without any social media for a week. That even scares me a bit. 😉
This? Is so very many things.
Important.
Poignant.
Humbling.
Thank you for this ever-necessary reminder.
I’ll say it one more time: Thank you.
Yet again, another GREAT reminder! Thank you for blogging and sharing your life!
Yes! Sometimes I find myself getting sucked into the vortex too. I try to be careful around my girls, so what happens is that all of my social media activities ramp up while they’re asleep, which also means I stay up way too late and don’t ever get enough sleep. And that affects how I mom the next day too. We HAVE to rule social media, you’re right.
So, how about a step-by-step guide for your next post? 😉
Know that you’re always in my thoughts and prayers.
Isaiah 41:10, 13 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (13) For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
My email address
Spot ON! Perfect post. This has so been on my heart lately. Thanks for sharing.
I have had to just step back a lot lately. Especially with blog reading/commenting/twitter… I still want to keep up the memories on my blog but remember that I am blogging for my family not just for or about ME. Great post!
I so agree with you. I was thinking last weekend why i should apologize to my bloggy friends and the social media world for not being “there” but I realized that the time I spent with my kids coloring Easter eggs and baking was so much more special and the more important thing.
I love this post. Thank you so much for the important reminder that although this social media world is time consuming, it is not the most important way to consume our time.
I wasn’t planning to walk away from my blog but I did for a week and then it has turned into a month. And now I don’t know I want to go back. I had no idea how much brain space blogging and social media was occupying…even if I wasn’t on the computer much during the day, it was there in my mind consuming my thoughts. I’m amazed how much time I have on my hands now. i am homeschooling better and am getting creative again. I miss the writing part but for right now, i don’t miss all of what comes with being active in the blogging world.
1st – your posts lately, one right after the other content worthy beautiful. It’s real – it’s great.
two – I got off twitter for 30 days and felt AH-MAZING! (and it didn’t matter much to my 1K followers).
I turned off my skype, and I even put an auto-dm on my emails that I would not return them for another 24 hours. My family was coming 1st. It was so great to see my 4yr old walk into the office say my name, look around, and find me in the kitchen making his breakfast. SERIOUSLY.
I only have 2 kids – so I haven’t a clue how y’all with more manage, because I know what’s falling between the cracks in my life. (and I own/manage an online hs community). And ya know what – it’s not worth it.
A few things hit me – no matter why I think I’m doing all this, if it’s to make MY NAME great I’ll fail. Only HIS NAME matters. AND – the more time I spend with my kids the better. For all of us. for realz. Full price curriculum is worth it so I’m not chained to a computer trying to pump out reviews.
“Cease striving and know that I am God”
Thank you so much for the reminder! What a great post. It is funny that I was thinking about exactly the same thing last week. I looked down at my daughter after saying to her “just give Mumma a minute to do this” and then I thought, No, she shouldn’t have to wait for those “just a minutes” and “only be a seconds” that seem to swallow up whole mornings. I got off the computer and went out in the yard with my 2 yr old daughter and baby son. We found beautiful autumn leaves for picture making and made lasting memories instead of fans.
Love this post! God is working in my heart about something along this line and I needed to hear your words today.
Wow! What a spot on post!
Thank you for sharing in such a beautiful way.
Social media has become a significant part of people’s lives these days. In fact, studies have shown that 62% of adults worldwide use social media as of 2012. It is true that it can be addictive, but you can always set and balance things off. Never let social media control you totally. Too much of something is, indeed, bad. That is why it is best to use social media moderately. 😉
So true, Nelson! It’s just a matter of time management. It’s quite difficult, especially if you’re job deals with online marketing. But, you can divide your time. Believe me, everybody can! Don’t let social media eat away all your time for your family. After all, family matters more than your online friends and acquaintances. 😉
I couldn’t agree more that social media can consume your time. With tons of games to play and the technology to chat with your friends, your whole day can be consumed without you even noticing it. Well, what more if you’re working as a social media marketer at home? I suggest that you set a certain time for working, and give yourself time off afterwards.