My daughter went on a cell-phone-free weekend trip. It was surprisingly harder on me than on her.
It was a great way for her to unplug and get to know other girls.
I had an unexpectedly hard time not being able to text or call whenever I felt like it.
My daughter recently went on a Girl Scout camping trip. They went rock climbing and hiking and had a weekend full of adventures.
Much to my delight (although less to hers!), cellphones were off-limits for the weekend. It was supposed to help the girls get to know each other better. I'm also sure it was easier on the staff not to worry about girls dropping, breaking, or losing their phones while they were out exploring. On a more practical note, the cell service wasn't any good where they were camping anyway.
What I didn't expect was how difficult it would be for me to not be able to reach my daughter instantly.
I'm so glad my daughter has some screen-free weekends
Like most parents I know, I'm concerned about how much time my kids spend on their phones. My daughter is in middle school, and she doesn't remember a world without smartphones. I'm trying to teach her to have a healthy relationship with technology. It's not all bad, but I want her to have plenty of offline time as well.
I've always been conscious of trying to limit her screen time and that of her older siblings. I tried to find lots of analog activities for them to do when they were younger. I encouraged them to try after-school activities that would hopefully keep them active and entertained. I wanted them to spend time with people in real life instead of mostly online.
But I realize I haven't been as conscious of whether I myself was too attached to my smartphone at the same time.
I didn't expect it to bother me that I couldn't reach her
That weekend, I was everything from mildly annoyed to downright anxious that I couldn't talk to my daughter during her trip.
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I'd go to text her something funny, and remember she wouldn't see it until she was home. The staff had ways to reach us in an emergency, but I still worried about whether she made it to the campground from our drop-off site safely.
I catastrophized. I played out all kinds of ridiculous, but still scary, scenarios in my head at night when I tried to sleep.
My reaction caught me completely by surprise. I'm an 80s kid. I'm from the generation that was famously kicked outside to ride bikes with our friends until it got dark. I didn't grow up able to communicate with my parents at every moment.
When I got in an accident that totaled my car just after college, I waited until our scheduled weekly phone call to mention it to my parents. Now, I can't imagine my kids not calling me immediately in the same situation.
I like that phones mean I know where everyone is, and that they can call for help right away in an emergency. Some of my kids have their driver's licenses, and I feel better knowing they can check in when they arrive somewhere.
But when I couldn't contact my daughter right away, like I was accustomed to doing, it really threw me. I didn't like it one bit.
I'm trying to make some changes
I think a lot of my problem was that I've gotten too used to my phone. Gradually, without realizing it, I've checked it more and more. I'm not a prolific poster, but I scroll a lot to see what everyone else is posting. I've gotten accustomed to grabbing my phone and texting whatever I'm thinking to whoever I want, immediately. And I'm used to getting a response from them immediately, too.
My phone isn't all bad. I get pictures of my extended family in our group chats, and text my friend overseas like she still lives here. I read books on it. I have a terrible sense of direction, so I definitely need it for navigating.
But when I'm at the point that one weekend of not texting my daughter makes me worried, that's a bad sign.
So now, I try to leave my phone in the other room on weekends and spend time offline. I put down my phone and look at people while they're talking to me. It's currently summer, so if we're on a hike or doing something as a family, I try to put my phone away and fully engage with everyone. I also take weekends off from social media.
I'm sure it will be a lifelong challenge to balance the good and bad parts of having a smartphone. I hope I can stay aware of when it's gaining too much of a foothold in my life, and readjust once again. Or maybe sometimes I just need a long camping trip somewhere with no cell service.
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4 days ago
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I quit my job, divorced my husband, and moved to Italy to retire. I miss my kids, but I'm happier and healthier here.
Cindy Sheahan quit her job, got divorced, and began traveling abroad for a bigger, fuller life. She's visited more than 50 countries, but one city stole her heart: Palermo, on the island of Sicily. Sheahan told Business Insider she's happier, healthier, and saving more money in Italy. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cindy Sheahan, 64, who retired from real estate in 2017 and left Colorado to travel abroad. In 2025, Sheahan settled in Palermo, Italy. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. In 2017, I was at a crossroads. A lot of people I knew were dying, and I started thinking: You really don't know how many days you get or what's promised to you. I figured I'd start traveling abroad. My company was kind enough to let me take a sabbatical while I sorted out my world. It turned out to be a mistake for them, because I decided I wasn't coming back. 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Now that I'm an Italian citizen, I'm fully covered, which means there's no charge for general care. If I need to see a specialist, like a dermatologist, I might pay around $40. I am happier in Italy than I'd ever be in the US Living in Italy, I make a new discovery every day. That sense of wonder and joy has become a regular part of my life. I feel like I outgrew a lot of people and places in the US. Don't get me wrong, I desperately miss my friends and family, especially my kids. But they're all able to travel, and they'd much rather visit me somewhere fun than grab a drink at a bar in Denver. My quality of life has improved in Italy. I walk almost everywhere, so my blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol are in better condition. I eat better, I've made new friends, I've cut down on expenses, and most importantly, I'm happy. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
4 days ago
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I quit my job, divorced my husband, and moved to Italy to retire. I miss my kids, but I'm happier and healthier here.
Cindy Sheahan quit her job, got divorced, and began traveling abroad for a bigger, fuller life. She's visited more than 50 countries, but one city stole her heart: Palermo, on the island of Sicily. Sheahan told Business Insider she's happier, healthier, and saving more money in Italy. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cindy Sheahan, 64, who retired from real estate in 2017 and left Colorado to travel abroad. In 2025, Sheahan settled in Palermo, Italy. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. In 2017, I was at a crossroads. A lot of people I knew were dying, and I started thinking: You really don't know how many days you get or what's promised to you. I figured I'd start traveling abroad. My company was kind enough to let me take a sabbatical while I sorted out my world. It turned out to be a mistake for them, because I decided I wasn't coming back. Once I stepped out the door and visited places I had only dreamed of and ate food I had only read about, it was ridiculous to think I was going to go back to my "normal life." I wasn't getting any younger. I figured I could always work again if I wanted to. But right now? I wanted to climb a waterfall in Cambodia and ride a motorbike in Vietnam. So I quit my job, retired, and divorced my husband. We had 30 years together and raised our amazing kids. But I didn't want just to walk the dog, play pickleball, and tend a garden. I wanted a bigger life. I thought living abroad would be temporary, but I was wrong After the divorce, I moved into a small apartment in Colorado with a monthly rent of $1,700. I still have it and rent it out to traveling nurses abroad. In the beginning, I thought I'd travel the majority of the year, come back to the States, and live a "normal" life there for one month a year. For some time, I did that. 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I didn't want to live in the suburbs — though living in the outer areas will always be less expensive and, in some ways, more authentic. So, I chose to live in the city center. I live in an area where I can walk for about 15 minutes and be at a cathedral, the gardens, or in the neighborhoods where all the restaurants, markets, and festivals happen. Palermo has a vast and active expat community. I feel safe in my neighborhood. I have a good friend who lives by the local train station, about a 30-minute walk from my apartment. I walk back from her house all the time late at midnight, and there's no stress — I'm not walking with my keys in my hand. My apartment is about 1,100 square feet, and I pay around $800 monthly plus a $100 condominium fee. It came completely furnished and is gorgeous. I have three sets of French doors that open onto three separate balconies. The floors are terrazzo with border patterns, and there are medallions on the 12-foot-high ceiling. My bathroom is spacious, which is hard to find in Italy, where showers are often the size of a phone booth. The apartment building dates back to the early 1930s. Although it is old, compared to some other buildings in Italy, it feels relatively new. Life is more affordable in Italy I couldn't afford my lifestyle if I moved back to the US. I receive $1,500 a month in Social Security. It's not enough to cover rent in Denver, but abroad, it easily covers my housing and much more. Daily expenses are affordable in Palermo. I love that I can go to the grocery store and not break the bank. You can buy tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, and everything else for a song. Healthcare is also much more affordable in Italy. In 2024, while traveling in Tunisia, I broke my foot. When I returned to Italy, I had two sets of X-rays and two appointments with an orthopedic specialist, and the total cost was less than $150. At the time, I wasn't even on the national healthcare system. 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I stayed at a 5-star Four Seasons in Seattle. My $1,000-a-night room had the best view in the city.
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