Today I created a space in our living area to house games we can play together, instead of watching screens.

A couple of nights ago as I was researching for another post, I found an image (inspired by The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking) that showed the various aspects of Hygge. One of the aspects listed was a ‘no screens’ rule. I thought this rule was worth investigating since it’s something we wrestle with at our house. I decided to give it a try.

Our schedule crosses the border into crazy-busy most of the time and so the screens at our house play more than they should. But we also have a ton of games in the house that are gathering dust. I grabbed a matching game after dinner and, instead of turning on any media, I sat at the table and started arranging the cards. Before I’d finished, the Kraken (my 2 year old son) was in my lap rearranging them into his own creative designs. The Dancer (my 5-year-old daughter) wandered over to see what we were doing and as the Kraken lost interest she and I played a short game.

It doesn’t sound like much, I know, but our feelings of cohesiveness had definitely grown stronger. We had spent time interacting and exploring the world together, making memories. We’d snuggled and laughed and created. It was a simple, and beautiful, kind of magic. 

Since that night, I’ve tried to add a little chunk of no screen time to our routine each evening. During that time we get to interact more naturally. I give them my full attention and put the phone away for a few minutes. The break energizes all of us and reminds me to slow down and give them my attention. It’s something I used to be good at, but the pace of our lives had pulled me away from these treasured moments. I’m glad there are cultures out there that hold these moments dear, and remind the rest of us to get back to what’s most important.

What did I learn from this experiment?

Hygge helps us live in the moment.