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My dad always used to say I was addicted to screens growing up. I don't think he was far off the mark (nowadays he's as bad as me) One time, almost all of my h

My dad always used to say I was addicted to screens growing up. I don't think he was far off the mark (nowadays he's as bad as me) One time, almost all of my hobbies involved computers. I was a coder. A gamer. A writer. A digital artist. A filmmaker. I made fun Photoshop things for friends. I built websites. I did a lot of dtp. I made music with music apps. All of these things involved me staring at a screen for hours, but I don't consider them wasted time. As I've gotten older and had kids I've tried to dial it down. I don't game anymore. I don't do social media. If I draw, it's usually with the kids on a giant sheet of paper on the floor. I spend a lot of time with my kids and it makes me happy. But even in that, I would have to concede I spend far more of my day and week in front of a screen than talking to humans. One of the most common regrets on the death bed is "I wish I hadn't worked so hard, I wish I'd spend more time with my family", And while I don't have the benefit of 7 decades of hindsight and any clarity of mind that comes with being near death, it does seem to me like a slightly unrealistic idea, that we simply could have chosen to work fewer hours and spend more time with loved ones. Most of us work 40 hours a week to pay the bills, and most of us can't afford to cut down that time. And I would guess for most of the people on hn, those 40 hours are spent in front of the computer. We all have to work, and we can't all just wave a magic wand and step away from the computer and spend time with the kids instead. Otherwise said kids will end up without a roof over their head. Yes, you probably spend more time in front of a computer than you do talking to your children, but don't beat yourself up about it

ozlikethewizard 2mo ago
It's a bit of a trap, kids are so expensive, if you dont have kids working an easier job is completely viable, but obviously you dont have the kids to spend time with, if you do have kids you need to work flat out to support them. I dont think myself and my partner will be having children, and there's a myriad of reasons for that, but the economic implications are certainly up there.
- trencedamp 2mo ago
  Kids are expensive, no doubt. But if you want kids, don't let money be the thing that stops you. That would be a far bigger regret
UltimateEdge 2mo ago
> One of the most common regrets on the death bed is "I wish I hadn't worked so hard, I wish I'd spend more time with my family" You are not the same person as the one on your death bed. You do not have the same priorities. The only thing left for the person on the death bed are memories, so it's natural that this is a common regret.

ozlikethewizard 2mo ago

It's a bit of a trap, kids are so expensive, if you dont have kids working an easier job is completely viable, but obviously you dont have the kids to spend time with, if you do have kids you need to work flat out to support them. I dont think myself and my partner will be having children, and there's a myriad of reasons for that, but the economic implications are certainly up there.

trencedamp 2mo ago
Kids are expensive, no doubt. But if you want kids, don't let money be the thing that stops you. That would be a far bigger regret

UltimateEdge 2mo ago

> One of the most common regrets on the death bed is "I wish I hadn't worked so hard, I wish I'd spend more time with my family" You are not the same person as the one on your death bed. You do not have the same priorities. The only thing left for the person on the death bed are memories, so it's natural that this is a common regret.