When our wifi cut out for two weeks, we learned a whole lot about our family's internet usage. Here are the best and worst bits.
Crossing over our wifi and TV package left us without wifi for over two weeks and you can learn a lot in that time about what we rely on.
Our family didn’t seem to rely on wifi a huge amount but when we were left without it for a couple of weeks, there were moans from the kids, rolled eyes and foul moods to deal with.
Here are some of the best and worst things about having no wifi for over two weeks
The Best
Date night
The night the wifi stopped, we were just about to start watching Netflix. Without the internet and or TV (as this had gone too) we were left sitting there. Now, this wasn’t a huge issue for me as I love to read but my husband was somewhat upset.
So, we went old school and I had a playlist on Spotify that I made months ago with all the oldie tunes we listened to as youngsters and in the early days of dating.
The results were great as we sat for hours, chatting, laughing and reminiscing. Our children weren’t too impressed with watching DVDs (so ancient) in their rooms but we got through a Saturday night without TV or wifi and we had a GREAT time.
Kids talked more
I am not going to lie, not all the conversations were positive, but they did leave their bedrooms more and sit with us. Our daughters are at that difficult ages of 17 and 11 so they like their own space. We played board games, chatted and went for walks to do something!
More creative play
The youngest decided to paint rocks, draw and colour. She usually does these things anyway but watches Netflix while doing so. This time it was just her and her rocks or crayons. The eldest daughter had more options and disappeared to mates’ houses or down to the local coffee shop for the wifi!
The Worst
Had to work out of the house
Without my trusty internet, I had to work out of the house more. I usually work at home a lot, but I had to head to the office more often or to the local coffee shop. It wasn’t the end of the world but the evening work I usually do was affected with slow hotspot and I couldn’t get the things done that I usually would.
No Netflix
It seems we watch a huge amount of our programmes on Netflix and I didn’t know how much. It seriously opened my eyes to realising that paying for an expensive TV package is stupid as we don’t need it. The kids are happier with Netflix and the only time we might watch TV is on the weekend, so why are we paying a high bill for very little entertainment?
Had to deal with the kids’ moodiness
They were moody about the lack of internet and though they didn’t give out too much, they had their moments. It was stressful and we realised how much our children relied on the net for entertainment, especially in the summer months.
It did sadden me how they needed it and yet they wouldn’t miss things like walks outside or meeting friends. That perfectly illustrates today’s technology-reliant attitude. We will be cutting the wifi at home for net free times from now on - once we get it up and running that is!