As a mom to a two and a half year old, I am
constantly faced with the battle of how much
technology is too much. Is it ok for him? How much
should I participate in him using technology? What
is the ideal time limit? He’s learning so should I turn
it off? As a business owner, I am guilty of being on
my phone too much from time to time. Especially
since I can run my entire business off of it. Every
beep, buzz, notification etc is a distraction for me
from being the best parent that I can be. So how do
you find balance in this connected age?
I don’t claim to be an expert at being a Mom or a
know it all when it comes to technology but here
are the tips that have worked well for me and my
family to be less connected and more present.
Limit your own technology: I know this sounds
crazy, right? It works though. I have changed many
of the notification settings on my phone so that it
isn’t always squawking at me every few minutes
when a notification comes through. This works so
well especially for after hours when I want to be
present with my child.
Set a time limit and teach kids about junk food
apps: I set a time limit to the amount of time that
my son can watch tv on the ipad or other device. I
try very hard to keep it under an hour or hour and a
half. I typically use that time when I am trying to
get dinner ready or get myself ready for the day.
Only allow him to watch and use educational apps
meaning an app that will help him speak better,
learn words or numbers. When he gets older I will
explain that some apps are junk food and others
are healthy food for your brain until then we don’t
download apps that are junk food for the brain.
Plan family time: After a busy day of work it can be
hard to get in the mood to do something as a
family but it is especially easy this time of year since
the weather's getting nicer. Get outside, go for a
walk or to the playground. Anything to get the
family moving as a whole do this at least three
times a week.
Have technology free meals: In my house we don’t
allow mobile devices of any sort at the table. Why?
Because this is where we all sync up about our day.
It is always fun and it always spills over into all of us
cleaning up dinner together.
Mobile free Sundays: In my house we have one day
of the week where we go the whole day or almost
the whole day without technology. No tv, no
mobile phones, just us. It is fantastic because it
forces us to connect as a family and get to know
one another better. It also helps me as a parent feel
connected and present with my family.
Written By - Jamie Palmer
Parent
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