17/07/2025
Many parents are realising that reducing screen time helps children feel calmer and more connected to their everyday childhood experiences.
I took away my daughters’ iPads.
I took away all their electronics.
I’m so tired of them gravitating to their devices from the second they wake up until the second they fall asleep.
So, I took them away and told my two children to go play.
No phones. No iPads. No video games.
And guess what?
We lived to talk about it.
After the initial cries and whining and panic set in by my oldest, the two eventually found themselves at the table creating a Lego masterpiece. They wandered outside and came up with a trampoline routine, complete with handmade tickets to see their “show”. And we all picked up books, spending a lazy afternoon sprawled out on the couch.
Electronics has brought out the worst in my girls.
The meltdowns and the emotional outbursts when we say “time’s up” aren’t healthy. They’re becoming more and more to their devices, and I feel like electronics are slowly chipping away at their creativity.
I remember the days of playing outside with the neighborhood kids, the skits we would come up with, and lemonade stands we would hold at the corner.
We need to let our children be bored.
And here’s the thing—it starts with us.
I’m the first to admit that I need to put my own phone down and be present, to unplug from TikTok and the mindless scrolling.
As I put my own phone away, I watched my girls, their unique minds at work as they built Legos and crafts.
Friends, take it from me: let them be bored.
Chances are, their imagination will soar.
(Sharing my words from the spring because it’s a good reminder that it’s ok this summer to let them be bored!)