For the third year, the MPP room of the Chestermere Recreation Centre has opened its doors for the public to encourage families to ‘unplug’ and spend time together. In a world where it can seem that we are controlled by our devices, it’s important to break away and spend some time with the humans in our lives.
Family Day is a perfect day to forget about our devices and remember to spend some time checking in with each other…you know…face to face…conversations…eye contact. You remember that right?
A recent study by mobileinsurance.com has revealed that the average person spends 90 minutes a day on their phone which amounts to 23 days a year and 3.9 years of the average person’s life is spent staring at their phone screen. Whereas an article in the Daily Mail UK from March 2015 said that “the average person now spends more time on their phones than sleeping”.
Don’t get me wrong, not only am I guilty in this, but having that instant access to information can be a very powerful and important tool – but at what point does it start taking away from our lives instead of adding to it?
The collaboration of ‘Family Day Unplugged’ brings together the best of the best and has everyone so entertained that there is no need to take that quick glance at your device to make sure you haven’t missed any of the drama – it’s always there waiting when you go back.
This afternoon event had the Chestermere Lions Club serving up delicious chili and buns and the Waiting Room Café Family was on hand with yummy coffee and tea. There were indoor and outdoor activities, but some of those had to be cancelled as Mother Nature served us up a gloriously sunny day – which made some outdoor activities not possible.
Other activities included Formative 5 Preschool Activity Stations, CRCA Board Games, Macaroni Kid was on hand for some noodle crafts and Chestermere Plays hosted the Hayrides outside.
With a day set aside for spending time with family, it also makes you stop and think about our community and the family – although sometimes dysfunctional – that we all belong to. We may not always agree with each other and we might not see eye to eye, but I’d say that is the case with most families, whether we’re connected by blood or where we call home.
