It’s hard to think about life today without screens. We rely on screens for the handy-never-complaining- always-there childminders and entertainers that they are. Who amongst us has not sat their kid in front of a screen to allow you to… (fill in the blank with anything life requires).
It’s not as bad as you think
After saying no for the umpteenth time, most of us eventually give in and let the kiddos on the tablet or the phone. But then there’s that tinge of guilt. A small feeling of dread about the unknown damage an a feeling you’re exceeding some recommendation.
Well I have great news for you. No, it’s not that you are not blowing past the recommendations -you probably are. The great news is that everyone one else is doing it. So chill and be kinder to yourself.
Kids are on screens – a Lot!
Screen time recommendations don’t seem to work for real life
The recommended screen time for kids under 2 is 0 hours (except for video chats) and for kids 2 – 4, only 1 hour a day. Seeing the actuals in the chart, we can agree that collectively we’re a solid C- in following those guidelines. Families come in as many different shapes, sizes, contexts and situations as there are reasons kids refuse to try new foods.
While we can all agree that there is no magic number of hours that works for every kid, we can also agree that if you feel those tinges of guilt at times, then you are probably not feeling great about the amount of screen time. But here’s a little secret – it’s not the amount of time you should be worrying about.
Make the best out of a sour situation
Since screens are here to stay in our lives, let’s make screen time something we can feel good about.
This isn’t sticking our heads in the sand. There’s research on the damage that screen time can do and there is also compelling research on the value of productive screen time.
The aha moment for us grown-ups is that ‘Kids’ screen time can be productive time!’
We spend too much time worrying about the time spent on screens and not enough on what they are doing on screens.
If real life can’t help but have all that screen time for kids, then let’s get squeezing and turn that reality into screen time that is productive. Who doesn’t like a tall glass of ice-cold goodness?
