As parents we can all relate to the struggles of monitoring our children’s screen time and worrying about their tech consumption.
From the time they are babies our little ones are surrounded by screens and it can often feel like a full-time job keeping them away from technology.
As busy parents it’s so tempting to give our children a screen or turn on the TV so we can get tasks completed in peace, despite being aware of the negative effects it can have on our children.
But one brave mom decided to take the screens away entirely and the results have been astonishing.
Like most parents Molly DeFrank was fully aware of how technology was affecting her own children.
“It turns out that screens were doing to my children exactly what the studies claimed they were doing: cultivating distracted, grumpy and argumentative little people,” she wrote on her website.
‘Can I play on your phone’
The writer and mom of five children under 10 years old only allowed her children one hour of screen time a day but even that proved too much.
The last straw for Molly was when she got home from running errands and was greeted at the door by her youngest.
“My kindergartener greeted me at the door with, ‘Can I play on your phone?’ Nope. That was the last straw. My husband and I decided that we needed a course correction, ASAP,” she wrote.
She introduced a 30-day screen detox but couldn’t believe the benefits so decided to go for longer.
“Quitting was shockingly easy, surprisingly sustainable, and my nine year old daughter has told me on several occasions that she’s glad we’ve cut them out,” she wrote.
Kids play better together
“My daughter reads books faster than I can buy them, my son has taught family art classes (his idea), and apparently the ‘go play outside’ our moms successfully used on us, STILL WORKS! (If the kids aren’t numbed out on screens.)”
Molly said her kids play better together are more creative, obedient, happier and sleep better. She’s even written a guide to help other parents.
What do you think about what Molly did? Have you tried this with your kids?
Feel free to leave your comments on our Facebook page and don’t forget to share this with all your friends who also have little ones.
