“There it goes.”
It was about 10 a.m. Saturday morning, and after a long night of steady snow and heavy winds, the power gave out.
And just like that, my snow day plans hit a serious snag. We were already stuck inside with our 3-year-old twins for most likely the rest of the day, and now we had no electricity. Of course, we knew there was a decent chance the lights could come back on in a matter of minutes — but there was also a chance we could be in the dark for days.
If you think that sounds a bit dramatic, perhaps you’re right, but for those of us at the Jersey Shore, the memories of Hurricane Sandy, when it took 2 weeks to regain power, are still vivid. We know that remaining in the dark for a while is very possible. So yes, we’re a bit jaded in that respect. But the experience also taught us a few things, like how to hook up a gas-powered generator and when to throw out freezer food.
This situation, however, was different. It was a snow storm, not a category 3 hurricane. The flooding was minor and there were no down power lines. We weren’t in any danger, and unlike during the superstorm of 2012, Dan and I didn’t have two tiny, helpless babies to take care of. And so although I was devising an escape plan in case it was necessary, chances are we would stay put, and we’d just have to make do with having no heat and subsisting on peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Once we had all that squared away, it was time to acknowledge the big, cold, white elephant in the middle of the room: two rambunctious kids. The kids yoga DVD was obviously out, along with movies, CDs, and anything else that needed to be plugged in. No electricity? Hardly a problem. We have plenty of books, art supplies, games, and toys. The problem is that toddlers have the attention span of a gnat, and when they become bored (especially when stuck inside – oh, the horror), they turn on each other — or worse, us.
And so I launched into camp counselor mode and prepared a lineup of activities to keep them engaged and prevent them from turning the house into a wrestling ring. I unveiled the opening act — watercolor paints, a rare treat — and watched nervously as they put on their makeshift smocks.
What happened next completely knocked my socks off. They ended up painting for almost an hour — that’s an eternity in 3-year-old land. And yes, it was very messy, but it kept them busy and happy, and when they were done with that, I held off on my next plan and let them decide decided what they wanted to do (puzzles were the winner). For the rest of the day, they played together pretty well, with minimal irrational outbursts.
It left me wondering why I had been so anxious about having them inside all day. I’m a pretty hands-on parent; I spend a large portion of time with them, often in our home, so why had this situation thrown me so much? And then it occurred to me: I had no electronic backup. I knew I couldn’t just put on an episode of Paw Patrol if all else failed, and that threw my entire game off.
Instead, the day went so well that I regained some confidence — both in myself and in the kids. And in fact, I’m thinking about having some mandatory “no power” time in the near future so that we don’t become too reliant on TV and movies.
It’s kind of like an experiment being conducted at Facebook called “2G Tuesdays” where employees can opt to use a slower mobile Internet connection in order to a better understanding of what it’s like for users in emerging markets. Granted, the experiment only lasts an hour, but in that period of time, workers can gain a lot of perspective on how long it takes to do something as simple as loading a page.
“We hope this will help us understand how people are using Facebook on slower connections, so we can build a better product for all of the people using it,” a Facebook spokesperson said of the program, which is voluntary but “should offer a good lesson.”
I agree, and I think we can all benefit from removing the crutch every once in a while.
Share Your Thoughts
You must be logged in to post a comment.