5 Technology Rules I Enforce Every Summer to Make Sure My Kids Stay Outside

The weekends are for family time and building memories together. Not only do I make my kids unplug every weekend, but my husband and I also put away our phones and tablets. This allows us to really be together as a family, and we'll do things like swim in a local lake, go for hikes, have barbecues, and lie in the grass to breathe in that fresh Summer air.

As a kid, it was always so nice to wake up early on a Summer morning and eat cereal while watching some cartoons. I don't want to take that away from my own kids, even when the sun is shining. During most Summer days, I let my kids have 30 minutes of technology (there's more wiggle room on rainy and sick days) to use however they want.

If my kids want to use up their technology time every day, then they have to read for 30 minutes, too (it's a win-win for both of us). My hope is that they'll want to read anyway, but this helps them dive into fun Summer reads they might not otherwise have touched.

If we're having a Summer barbecue, at a birthday party, or even just eating as a family at the dinner table, there will be no technology by any of us. I've always found it rude when kids or adults have their eyes glued to a screen when there's a group of people around wanting to talk to them.

Our tablet broke a few months ago, and honestly, it's been the best thing for our house. So this rule will stay. It's just one fewer tech addiction for all of us.