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Be sure to listen to the
She’s Got It Together Podcast!
Hey everyone, it’s Jess here ready to dive into the wild world of screen time! As a mom of two girls (15 and 10), I’ve seen firsthand how technology has completely transformed childhood. Long gone are the days of waiting for your turn on the family computer – now it seems like everyone has their own device surgically attached to their hand 24/7.
The struggle to find balance is REAL. On one hand, I know my kids use their tablets and laptops for legitimate school stuff. Homework is all digital these days! Plus, screens offer a much-needed respite when mama needs to get dinner on the table without World War III breaking out. Let’s be honest, we’ve all handed over the iPad in a moment of desperation.
But it’s a slippery slope from educational games to mindless scrolling. My oldest daughter Hayden once racked up 5 hours on Instagram in a single day! As soon as I saw that screen time report, I knew we needed to lay down some ground rules. Cue the eye rolls and dramatic sighs.
Setting parental controls has been a game-changer, though. Now I can limit how long the girls spend on specific apps and block them out entirely during homework or bedtime hours. It’s not a perfect system (my tech-savvy 10 year old is always finding loopholes) but it helps keep things in check without me having to constantly play bad cop.
The real challenge is navigating the world of multiple screens. Heaven forbid I suggest Minecraft can be played without a YouTube tutorial streaming in the background simultaneously! According to my youngest, I’m basically ruining her life and crushing her dreams of becoming a professional gamer. RIP my sanity.
Luckily, there are still some screen-free sacred cows in our house. Mealtimes are for actual face-to-face conversation (shocking, I know) and nothing glows after bedtime except the moon. It’s not always easy to enforce, but I’m holding strong to maintain a shred of my 90s kid upbringing.
I think my sister Sam summed it up perfectly – what works for one family might not jive for another, and that’s okay! We’re all just trying to do our best in this digital age. The most important thing is to have open, ongoing dialogue with your kiddos about healthy habits and boundaries. And maybe invest in some blue light glasses while you’re at it!
At the end of the day, screens are a part of modern childhood whether we like it or not. As parents, we can’t just stick our heads in the iCloud and hope for the best. We’ve gotta stay involved, aware, and adaptable as the tech landscape continues to shift. Godspeed to us all!
Until next time,
Jess the Screen Queen
