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48 September 20151
RED THREAD
The Lovy family: Jen, Noah, Jessica, Evan and Jon Lovy.
managed by building with Legos,
reading and working on some
crafts projects.
"One important lesson my kids
learned is that they did not die
of boredom," Lovy said. "And we
actually got outside to enjoy the
snow."
The unplugged week showed
the Lovys just how much they
normally used their screens. After
the week, the kids went back to
plugging in, although Lovy said
she tries her best to limit non-
homework screen time to an hour.
Miriam Svidler, LLMSW of
Southfield, who works as a coun-
selor at the Cruz Clinic in Livonia,
said it is no wonder that kids have
a hard time being pried away from
their games.
According to
Svidler, games
are designed to
make the brain
feel good, and
this is why chil-
dren and teens
"Au display great
Miriam Svidler
irritability when
they are asked to
stop playing.
Noting the extremely addicting
nature of computer games and the
constant updates on one's social
media newsfeed, Svidler advises
no more than two hours a day of
screen time if that screen is used
for things other than homework.
"Game programmers know
exactly how to design a game to
make our brains feel good when
we use them and bad when we are
abruptly torn away from them,"
Svidler said. "You need to tell the
child that restricting screen time
is not a punishment but a motiva-
tion to find other pursuits or to
spend time with other people face
to face:'
Svidler advises that sometimes
getting that last text from a friend
can be reassuring before bedtime.
But teens should not rely on
texting as a main form of commu-
nication with friends.
"It is always best for a teen to
have open communication with
their parents," Svidler said. "But if
that one text from a good friend
can help them get through the
night before bedtime, that is OK,
too."
WEEKLY BREAK
Like many Jews who have become
observant, Svidler knows that
Shabbat, a 25-hour rest, can be
the best weekly break from tech-
nology.
"For 25 hours, I am able to be
present and in the moment, which
I have learned is hardest thing
for teenagers to do," said Svidler,
who gradually became Shabbat-
observant through her adulthood.
"Before Shabbat, if I want to be
with my friends, we make a plan,
pick a place, and they just have to
trust that I am going to be there."
When it comes to teaching and
learning prayer, Melissa Ser, direc-
tor of education at Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills,
said there are a multitude of apps
and technology to help students
young and old. But trying to find
that meaningful moment during
religious services, she added, be-
comes increasingly more challeng-
ing. Too much screen time is only
partly the reason.
"We do not know how to slow
down," said Ser, who takes full ad-
vantage of the time Shabbat gives
her and husband, Sam, to enjoy a
day of unplugged time with their
three children.
"The world has picked up pace
so much in the last few decades,
and one no longer has to search
and research to find answers.
The art of prayer asks a person
to dig down into various layers of
thinking, and this is something
we are not accustomed to doing
anymore." RT
See story on page 53 about sleep risks associ-
ated with excessive screen exposure.