Before our first child was born last year，my wife Cristina and I often thought about the kind of parents we wanted to be.We often watched 1 sitting at the table in silence，glued to their own phones，hardly taking their eyes off the screens between bites.We didn't want to live like that and 2 to be present with one another.
After our son was born，however，the 3 was quite different.In those sleepless early days，I found myself lost in my 4 .I spent up to four hours a day surfing on it while in front of me was a new life we had 5 about.My wife told me it was as though I had disappeared when I looked at my phone.It was then that we decided to 6 the Internet.
The first days off line were hard.I developed a strong 7 for words，loading my nightstand（床头柜） with books from the library.I read them all quickly，and started reading anything.Over time，I was able to read deeply，consuming 8 works that I would have struggled to 9 before.At the end of the first week，my phone reported that my screen time had 10 by 80 percent.Sometimes I just sat and thought，letting my mind travel where it pleased with no plan or 11 .I12 that it had been years since I'd last allowed myself to do nothing.
Many people won't or can't 13 remove the Internet as we did.But they can set aside space in their lives unoccupied by 14 .Establishing a space beyond tech's reach is a way of gaining15 from technology.It reminds us that we can live and thrive（茁壮成长） happily without it.
