The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch

Andy Crouch gives readers a plethora of ways to put technology in its proper place in his book, The Tech-Wise Family. "To be a child, teenager, or young adult these days is to navigate a minefield of potentially life-altering choices." His daughter wrote in the forward explaining "...the best part of tech-wise parenting is focusing on something older and better than the newest thing. The key word is better." This better way involves choosing: Character, Shape Space, and Structuring Time. Character develops slowly, daily, as we painstakingly overcome problems. Shape spaces are places in our homes that are device free and packed with supplies to create or practice a skill which could include everything from books to board games and paints to a piano. Structuring time is intentionally setting time aside to rest from devices such as spending intentional time being grateful without instantly scrolling. Change is challenging but worthwhile. "We will have to teach our children, from early on, we're not here to make their lives easier but to make them better." Andy's Ten Tech-Wise Commitments 1. We develop wisdom and courage together as a family. 2. We want to create more than we consume. Fill the center of the home with things that reward skill and active engagement. 3. We are designed for a rhythm of work and rest. 4. We wake up before our devices do and they "go to bed" before we do. 5. We aim for no screens before double digits. Avoid tethering to the glowing screen as long as you can. 6. We use screens for a purpose and we use them together. 7. Car time is conversation time. It takes 7 minutes to get a 'real' conversation going. 8. Spouses have each other's passwords. Parents have total access to kids' devices. 9. We learned to sing together. (Powerful picture book, Christmas in the Trenches, shows the power of song. A German soldier started singing Silent Night, and both sides sang together in different languages. They also shared what little treats they had been sent from home) 10. We show up IN PERSON for big events in life. (weddings, births, & funerals) Interesting point, "...the quest to cure boredom with entertainment makes the problem worse, the more you entertain kids, the more bored they will get." When we choose the easy way, we miss cultivating patience. The first people to be bored were the first people who did not do manual labor. Frederick Douglass said, "Without struggle, there is no progress." The last thing learners need is for it to be too easy. Difficulty and resistance press learners forward and make the learning stick. We hope you glean much from the pages of this little jewel to bring your precious family closer together as routines are established and memories are made. Screens are probably here to stay, but our children are with us for but a season, may we live life well preparing them for the road ahead.