The way kids pick up on technology with a quickness definitely leaves me in awe, but then the parent in me begins to wonder if moderation should start being enforced now rather than later. And really the only way to "enforce" moderation is for Danny and I to set our phones aside.
My friend suggested this article, Five Simple Steps For Choosing Your Kid Over Your Phone. After reading it, I felt like these 5 steps could easily be accomplished:
- Make a commitment to put the phone down and make it public.
- Turn off notifications.
- Quit thinking that you'll just "check email really quick."
- Set up custom ringtones and text tones.
- Put the phone away somewhere out of sight.
Bahahaha. Yeah, right. I tried and although it worked for a few days, by day 4 there I was sitting on the couch after work scrolling through Instagram while Han scrambled around babbling and playing. I mean, sure he looked like he was having fun, but I only get a couple hours with him before he goes to bed. Also, my phone addiction makes him want to play with my phone even more. So multiple times he came up to me whining as he tried grabbing it.
Our phone addiction is sort of setting a bad precedent to our son. Damn, I have to think about shit like this because when he's 8 and I'm asking him questions, I'd rather have a face-to-face conversation not one laced with "uh huh" "dunno" "sure" and other monosyllabic, non-participatory grunts while he's glued to some device (something I get from his Dad now - grrr).
I just saw a hilarious Booking.com commercial where the dad locks up the kids' phones and they're forced to do things with their hands other than scrolling, tapping, and texting on a digital screen. Hats off to their marketing department because HELL YEAH. I don't want Han to miss out on tangible experiences like playing outside, reading a physical book, and using his imagination.
So, like all things parenting, it's time to make a concerted effort to minimize our phone time in order to maximize our together time. Let's step up our role-modeling game. Really the only number of the 5 that pertains to us is #5. We need to start putting our phones on silent and leaving them in our bedroom for at least a couple hours throughout the day. I think that it benefits Han, but also Danny and I as a couple. I can't stand his obsession with phone games and he can't stand mine with YouTube videos. We are inadvertently alienating our partner, which leads to annoyance, resentment, and contention. No more. It's time to hang as a fam and have real conversations with...dare I say it...eye contact.
I just saw a hilarious Booking.com commercial where the dad locks up the kids' phones and they're forced to do things with their hands other than scrolling, tapping, and texting on a digital screen. Hats off to their marketing department because HELL YEAH. I don't want Han to miss out on tangible experiences like playing outside, reading a physical book, and using his imagination.
So, like all things parenting, it's time to make a concerted effort to minimize our phone time in order to maximize our together time. Let's step up our role-modeling game. Really the only number of the 5 that pertains to us is #5. We need to start putting our phones on silent and leaving them in our bedroom for at least a couple hours throughout the day. I think that it benefits Han, but also Danny and I as a couple. I can't stand his obsession with phone games and he can't stand mine with YouTube videos. We are inadvertently alienating our partner, which leads to annoyance, resentment, and contention. No more. It's time to hang as a fam and have real conversations with...dare I say it...eye contact.
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