by Cara McLauchlan
I just bought freedom. It was only ten bucks.
There is something oxymoronic about saying "I just bought freedom." It has the same funky feeling as "grandma, put the saw down." It simply does not go together. Yet, I gladly paid my ten dollars for it.
If you haven't heard of "freedom" -- it's a new application you can download to your computer that will not let you connect to the Internet for a certain period of time. (www.macfreedom.com) Some super-genius is now getting severely wealthy over the fact that I (and probably you too) cannot get anything done anymore because we are constantly distracted.
I really bought it for my 9 year-old son. Please don't tell him though. I secretly love turning freedom on and then walking away from the computer. Minutes later I hear the frustrated sighs and then "mom, the Internet's not working!" I fake the irritated face and say "darn that Internet! That thing never works."
Then he is forced to do the amazing -- find something to do. Something wonderful without technology -- like read a book, use his imagination, make a paper airplane or draw. Not only is this forced Internet break great for 9 year-olds, it also works perfectly on adults.
What's ironic is freedom is something I have had all along, yet it took paying for it to see how much I was missing. Now if I could only get it to work on the TV....
Cara McLauchlan is a mom and a writer, and is a featured blogger on Carolina Parent magazine's website. Her blog, Joy Goggles, is dedicated to seeing the ordinary with fresh eyes and unique perspectives.
A big thank you to Cara for kicking off this week! Stay tuned for our next giveaway, to be announced later today. We'll also have the next in our Special Needs blog series, and January Moms on the Move. Stick around and enjoy the "ride"!
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