A mum has said having a screen-free home has been “amazing” for her kids
She took to the internet to share her success story about her kids aged two and four who by chance, went completely screen-free.
She began by explaining: “With both of my kids (4 year old girl and 2 year old boy) I let them start watching tv at about 1.5 years old.
“I was also a kid raised on tv so I didn’t really see anything wrong with it at first.”
The mum admitted that there were times when the kids watched “way more tv than they should have” but she explained.
“When my son was a colicky newborn my daughter watched a lot, and after I was shot in the neck last year and temporarily disabled they both watched a lot because I just couldn’t do much.”
When this time passed, she said she set strict limits on screen time but she didn’t stop them from watching tv every day.
“I felt like I needed that time to make dinner or get cleaned up or whatever else was on my to-do list,” she said defending her decision – not that she needs to.
“I also justified it because they have never used a tablet or had screen time outside of home,” she went on to say.
“When we are out and about I let the real world entertain them. Because of that I’ve never had issues with their behaviour in the car or in restaurants.”
Their move to a screen-free household came about by accident because the TV in their home malfunctioned, “so they just didn’t have any screen time for a few days”.
Having seen improvements in their behaviour, the mum-of-two said: “I decided to continue that even after it got fixed.”
The she said that: “The effect of going screen free has been astounding. Before, they would constantly bicker/ fight with each other.
“I felt like I was playing referee all the time. Now they get along better and play together a lot.
“My daughter is now picking up her entire playroom every night before bed, where before getting her to clean up felt like pulling teeth.
“They are saying please and thank you more. I can just leave them to play while I go to the other side of the house to do a chore and they’ll entertain themselves for a long time.
“They just seem calmer and I’m calmer as well. I also have way less mom guilt because I know the science says it’s not good for their brains.”
Concluding her advice piece, she said: “I’m not sure how long I’ll continue this. I told my daughter we can start having a family movie night once a week soon.
“But for the foreseeable future regular screen time will not be part of our routine. I used to think screen free was unattainable for me as a single mom but honestly things have been easier than ever.”
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