Submitted by Bedford Youth and Family Services
Bedford Families Unplugged is a month long awareness campaign to remind Bedford families and residents to “unplug their electronics” and “plug into” each other. Based on a program begun in Needham, Massachusetts ten years ago, and adopted in Bedford nine years ago, the Unplugged program has expanded to the towns of Belmont, Newton, Northborough, and Falmouth, to name a few. Unplugged is a reminder that there is more to life than what is on the other side of a plug.
The highlight of this year’s program will be a no-homework, no-sports, and no-activities night for Bedford Public School Students on November 6, 2013. In addition, there will be no town-related meetings and virtually no community, school, or religious meetings held on that night. Parents can play their part on November 6th by getting home for dinner, canceling/rescheduling any night meetings, and thinking about making this night a special time for the entire family without attention to an outside schedule.
It is so easy to get caught up into electronics — TV, computers, Internet, Gameboy, and Nintendo are fun, entertaining, and a nice way to relax. It can become a problem when you find yourself spending 2, 4, 6 or even 8 hours a day plugged in….and little time is devoted to interacting with family and friends or simply engaging in a quiet activities such as reading or walking.
Electronics are a wonderful part of life — we learn, communicate, and access information from electric powered devices; we watch TV or surf the Internet as a way to relax and to relieve the stress of daily life. Unfortunately being so “plugged in” can isolate us from other people. Instead of interacting with family and friends, we all too often become passive voyeurs.
During the month of November watch for a calendar of activities families can use to reconnect with activities that do NOT require electricity and that emphasize person-to-person interaction and health. New this year is a Do-It-Yourself calendar so your family can make your own from the list of suggested activities. Click here to print your own calendar!
Sponsored by the Bedford Selectmen, Bedford Public Schools, and Bedford Community Partnership, please contact Bedford Youth & Family Services at 781-275-7727 for more information about Bedford Families Unplugged together, stop in at their office at the Town Center, or visit their website to view the 2013 calendar of events at https://www.bedfordma.gov/youth
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