It's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning, then it's the last thing you do at night. No, it's not brushing your teeth. For many moms, it's checking their e-mail, social networking pages, blogs, message boards or all of the above. {relatedarticles}The Internet can be a fun, social and educational outlet, but as we would monitor our kids' Internet use, so should we monitor our own. New moms are particularly susceptible to Internet addiction, as they sometimes sit at home for months on end, feeling isolated, overwhelmed and craving adult interaction. Other moms may use the Internet for "productive" purposes - shopping, paying bills, socializing, uploading photos or seeking advice - sometimes at the cost of tasks like paying attention to the kids, tidying up or throwing in that load of laundry. It's not the biggest deal, of course, but at its worst, Internet addiction can come with some harmful behaviors, such as not eating, showering or taking pills to stay up and online.
Skipping errands, losing time with the kids and avoiding "real life" are factors that add even more stress to those addicted to being online, snowballing the problem even further. You're probably not that kind of Internet addict, but there are ways to find out if you're headed down that road. {relatedarticles}Examine your online relationships and compare them with your offline relationships. If you feel anxious when you can't log on, then your use might be a problem. Get help with the problem by keeping a log of what you do and for how long when you're on the computer and examine it regularly for patterns. Try to reduce time you spend in the "problem areas," whether they're Second Life, Facebook or message boards. Put up time limits and reward yourself for sticking to them. We could all learn a few lessons about computer use by following the rules we give our kids.