12/11/2025
I’m going to say something that might ruffle some feathers—don’t buy them an iPad. Don’t hand them your phone at the restaurant. Let them throw a fit in the checkout line because they’re bored. Let them be bored. Don’t teach them that technology is the only way to stay calm or entertained.
Now, I’m not anti-technology. I use it for school lessons, and I’m teaching my oldest how to responsibly use a laptop. Technology is a wonderful tool—but that’s all it is. A tool. And like any tool, it’s easy to misuse. It’s easy to hand over the screen when you just need a break or want to make dinner in peace. I get it—I’ve done it too.
But the problem starts when they expect it. When they think getting in the shopping cart means 30 minutes of Cocomelon, or when the iPad becomes a diaper bag essential. That’s when screens stop being tools and start becoming crutches.
My kids don’t get screens in the car (honestly, I’m too afraid of cleaning up car sickness), and they’ve never stared at a phone while I shop. And you know what? I’d rather see a mom struggling through the store with a fussy toddler than a child sitting silent and zoned out, face lit by a screen.
Let’s normalize kids being kids again—toddlers climbing out of their high chairs, little ones asking a million questions in the waiting room, all the noise and chaos that comes with childhood. I’m tired of seeing tiny screen-obsessed zombies.
Let’s let kids live—even when it’s loud, messy, and inconvenient. That’s how they learn. That’s how they grow. They’re not meant to be quieted by screens—they’re meant to experience life.
