We have a lot of tech in our house. We always have. It makes sense, since I’ve been into computers since my first Apple //e in the very early 1980’s. We had enough computers in our house, that when we decided the kitchen needed to be expanded we also added a computer room. Being consummate nerds, we named it the Nexus. I’ve written about how this room got out of control previously. But prior to that, it really was a technology hub for us. The original design of the room was such that it accommodated a working space for each member of the family, and each working space had a computer. This was prior to the advent of wireless networks, so it made sense to have minitower computers arranged around the room. All the computers were connected to our in-home network, shared a file server, and could all print to a color printer. Frankly, we were ahead of our time.

But time has a habit of moving onwards. Through the years we’ve added a vast array of notebook computers, netbook computers, iPod Touches, iPads, smart phones, not to mention our gaming systems from the PS/1 of a bygone era through the PS/2, Wii, and variations of the Xboxes that we have today.

Our Blu-ray players are all internet-enabled, our two TVs have apps loaded on them from the web, even our treadmill has an android tablet built-in that connects wirelessly to our network.

During our recent issues with our heating & air conditioning system, I thought we were going to have to replace all our thermostats (we have four), and I began researching web-enabled devices even though I’m home 90% of the time. I’ve also had the opportunity to research washer & dryers as well as ovens…and in each case I’ve considered units that have wireless communication capabilities.

It’s pretty obvious that tech is a large part of our lives.

But the other night I began to wonder if it’s too much in our lives. I observed on daughter watching a show streamed to her iPad while playing a game on her computer and simultaneously texting several people. At the same time another daughter was watching a streamed show on her iPad and gaming on her iPod touch. The basement was filled with the sounds of GTA (Grand Theft Auto) running on the Xbox One as one son was playing while texting and doing something on his notebook computer. At the kitchen table my oldest daughter was working on her final paper for this semester of graduate school while talking on her phone and playing a game on her iPad.

Music was wafting through the air streamed from the Toddler Radio station on Pandora…playing on a first generation iPad. Hectic Grandson was using an alphabet app on another first gen iPad. While he doesn’t really have the concept of letters, he seems to enjoy the games. I was sitting on the floor with my iPad reading some of the articles that I’d saved throughout the past few days.

Three other notebook computers, two desktops, and several iPads were all being pressed into service elsewhere in the house. Not to mention that all but one member of the family had a smartphone on them. Hectic 12 is our lone smartphone-less user, she won’t get a phone until she starts 7th grade. She’s only getting it then because we have to coordinate a lot of after-school activities. Honestly, she’s getting the phone for my convenience so that I don’t have to wait in the parking lot when coaches make estimates of return to school that are so wrong they’re laughable.

As I looked around the house though, I noticed that no one was really interacting with anybody else in the house. While it’s interesting to note that the three family members who aren’t living at home this summer were all involved in texting, group chats with members of the family, of FaceTime conversations, those of us in the house were really in our own separate bubbles. And the bubbles didn’t have just one tech device, in some cases there were as many as four devices per person!

So I got to thinking about having some time designated as tech free. We used to ban all devices at the dinner table, but vast timezone differences, pressures from my wife’s work, kids taking summer classes online, and a lack of parental control have let the devices creep back into our dinner time. When I mentioned that I’d like to have tech-free dinners again I got a lot of push-back from everyone, from Hectic Mom all the way down. Well, Hectic Grandson didn’t complain…probably because he doesn’t have the vocabulary yet. Other than that though, almost to a person there was dissent.

But I’m thinking about instituting some tech free time. I’m considering being a bit stealthy about it. Maybe just sitting down and trying to engage one of the kids in conversation and getting them to put down the screen. I’ve made some half-hearted attempts in the past, but have given up when I lost the battle to a streamed TV show. Yet now I have more resolve.

I know that I’m just as bad as everybody else. With my recent determination to see if I can ditch my Fitbit and rely solely on the health app on my iPhone I’ve got my phone on me a lot more than I used to. Not 100% of the time, but an awful lot. I recognize that I’d have to change my ways. Coupled with trying to convince the rest of the Hectic Clan to go tech-less for even a little while the ban may prove too much.

Then again, I’m pretty motivated for us to get back in touch with one another. To spend the small amount of time that we have together, well, together. Not just in the same room, but really engaging with each other. Talking. Yeah, just sitting around and talking about whatever. Not the mechanical discussions that we currently have about car-sharing, who needs to be where and when, and the like, but rather actual conversations that matter. Talking that means something.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my tech and I’ll never give it up entirely. Not ever. But I do see that we may have gone a bit off the deep end into the abyss of techdom. I’m hoping that we haven’t crossed the event horizon and can’t pull back, but I don’t know.

Wow, that brings to mind the movie Event Horizon. I need to go see if that’s on Netflix and watch it. Heck, I might even invite one of the kids to join me…and then maybe we can talk about the movie!