yes. yes. yes. I mean, I can't imagine my life without the computer, honestly; it makes so many good things easier, from finding housing and jobs to keeping in touch with old, and making new, friends. On the other hand, the attention span thing and the anesthetizing thing have both also been very true for me.

About two years ago I decided not to have an internet connection at home. I generally go to either school or the public library for net access at least once every two days, and usually every day, so I'm not cut off entirely. But at home, I can focus on reading and writing and cooking and, you know, *sleeping*. (I've gotten consistently way more sleep as a result of this decision; I used to just stay up chatting and clicking until 2 or 3 am on a regular basis. Now I usually go to bed between 10 and midnight, depending on when I got up.)

The first few days, or maybe even weeks, were pretty awful. I felt disoriented and disconnected and like IMPORTANT STUFF WAS HAPPENING AND I WASN'T THERE. But rather soon this wore off. About once a month or so, I have something I really, really wish the internet was there for, but I've generally been able to solve the problem the old-fashioned way (look it up in the dictionary; call my mom) or just wait for an answer until the next day. (I generally keep a running list of things to do on the internet so I don't forget to look up whatever it was.)

So, if you and your husband both have easy access at work, I'd say -- just delete the net. The kid will be fine. :)