T.V. and the Bubonic Plague

Have you ever wondered what life was like during the time of the Bubonic Plague? Wikipedia wasn't real specific on how many people died of the plague -- they guesstimated at 30-60 percent of the population, around 25 million souls. WHOA!!!

Carnage, corpses, fear surrounding you...

I wonder specifically what it was like as a mother...

What were the Moms of that era doing to protect their families?

I've heard that the nursery rhyme "Ring around the Rosies, Pocketful of Posies" originated during this time, based on the belief that breathing through a bouquet was somehow preventive.

I imagine a young boy, 10 or 11 years old, leaving the house -- probably to go play with the rats in the sewer or some boy-type activity -- and his mom saying, "Take the flowers with you, honey and keep them right by your nose."

"Mo-om, flowers are for girls!"

"Son, I don't want you bringing that nasty plague back to our house. It kills every other person in a particularly black-and-crusty way. Remember our neighbors' dead bodies out by the road for pick-up? Really, it's not good for the funeral complexion. Take the flowers."

When did they figure out that the rats -- well, the fleas on the rats -- were the problem? Were there some Moms who sensed it before the rest and did a better job of keeping the rats away? Here's another imaginary conversation:

Mom: Sweetheart, grab a broom and chase that rat out of the house.

Daughter: Ooohh, but Mom, it's so cute and cuddly. Can't we just keep it as a pet?!

Mom: I SAID GET THE BROOM AND WHACK THE HECK OUT OF THAT CREATURE!

So, nowadays, I'm a mom in the midst of the Screen-Time Plague. Is it really comparable, you ask?! Is this Clueless Mama really that clueless to think T.V. is as bad as the Bubonic Plague??

Well, as I prepare to participate in "Screen-Free Week," I've been reading all their materials and WHOA, NILLY it is, in fact, quite alarming what kinds of fleas are coming in on our electronic rats... and most of us are busy worrying about keeping pockets full of posies instead of whacking the real problem with our proverbial brooms.

C'mon, Mamas out there, let's beat this Plague!

Let's start by joining the Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood for Screen-Free Week next week (they provide a LOT of helpful material for those of us who have a hard time picturing what that means, even helping us know how to convince our kids to sign up).

Then let's make our kitchen's techno-free zones (or some other room of the house)...

Then let's assign one day per week to be Techno-Free day...

What other "brooms" can you think of?