Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place.
We live in a world saturated with technology. From the moment most of us wake to the moment that we go to bed there is at least one screen calling for our time and attention. While there are many good things about technology, in The Tech-Wise Family Andy Crouch encourages his readers to consider the impact that these devices have on our lives, our families, and our children. Now before we get too far, it must be made clear that Crouch is not anti-technology. In fact, early in the book he refers to himself as “a certified geek” so this book is not about getting rid of technology from our lives but merely putting it in its proper place so that it is a benefit to our families rather than something that damages them.
“If we don’t learn to put technology, in all its forms, in its proper place, we will miss out on many of the best parts of life in a family.”
The core of the book consists of “Ten Tech-Wise Commitments” that Andy and his family have made. In each chapter, he looks at one of these Commitments, outlining the issue that it aims to solve, and he provides statistics from Barna group that show the impact and extensiveness of the issue. Finally, Crouch provides a practical way of living out that Commitment. The Commitments provide a shift of focus from our devices to our families in a way that is challenging (at times) but with attractive benefits. The Commitments range from Filling the House with Things That Encourage Creativity Rather Than Consumption to Making Car Time Conversation Time to Intentionally Turning Devices Off Regularly.
The Ten Commitments are not designed as a be-all-and-end-all list that every family should adhere to. 
Instead, it is a starting point for us to consider how much technology is, and should be, ingrained in our lives. In fact, there is even the understanding that we aren’t going to keep the Ten Commitments perfectly. Every chapter concludes with a “Crouch Family Reality Check” where Crouch looks at how well his family has actually done in keeping them. He reports that some they have done well, but a lot of them have been kept imperfectly at best. By presenting this reality check he stands not as an Expert (with a capital E) giving direction on how we should live our lives but as a fellow parent and husband trying to do the best he can.
I haven’t come out of this book with a determination to keep every one of these Commitments but it has definitely made me think about how much I engage with devices in my day-to-day life. It has also made me consider the impact and example of that engagement for my daughter as she grows up. I’m not about to pull the plug on all of the electronic devices in my house all at once but I am going to start with walking away from my phone a bit more and just being in the moment. I think that’s the point.
