This Family Unplugged For 6 Months & Lived To Tell About it

Hmm… unplugging for six months? Are you kidding me? I can’t even imagine unplugging for one week. I’m so connected to my online world that I sleep with my phone. I’m not the only one though, as it turns out, it’s a habit that a lot of people have. Technology and our gadgets are no longer part of our life, but in many cases, they are becoming our life. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? Experts say that as long as we control it instead of it controlling us, we are okay.

Susan Maushart, a single mom of three teenagers in Australia, decided enough was enough. She put her entire family on a “technology cleanse” for six months. That meant no smartphones, no computers, no laptops, no video games and no television. My heart is beating fast, and I’m getting nervous just from typing that sentence. I could live without the television, games and Facebook for six months easy. However, no smartphone? No laptop? That would mean no Twitter and no blogging for that long? I think I might actually die.

How did this family cope? You can watch the short video below to find out. The mom ended up writing a book about the experience called The Winter of Our Disconnect. This is a topic that fascinates me, and I’ve written many articles related to it. If you would like to read more, here is a sampling: