Messy Motherhood 07: Setting Healthy Screen Time Boundaries for Kids Without Guilt

No Shame with Screen Time

The goal for this episode is to help you find a healthy balance with screen time so that you can feel confident in this area of parenting. There is absolutely no shame here and this episode is not meant to make you feel bad for the screen time habits that you have in your home, because every family is different. When you release yourself from the pressure of outside expectations and just allow yourself to really fully step into parenting as the most authentic version of yourself, that’s when you can really soar. This episode is to just provide you with another perspective of how Stephanie’s family handles screen time in and out of their home. If you like what you hear, then Stephanie encourages you to try them. If you don’t like these ideas, then you don’t have to try them.

Too Much of Anything Isn’t Great

Stephanie actually loves screen time! She loves watching movies and shows with her kids, but she also knows that too much screen time can lead to challenging behavior from them. This could look like a lot of whining, crying, fighting between the siblings, or even push back on the parents. That said, over the last five years, Stephanie has implemented several boundaries with her family around screen time. 

Jump Back to 2020

Stephanie first became really aware of screen time once Aspen was born. The peak of the anti-screen time movement was happening on social media and Stephanie began to get really overwhelmed and anxious surrounding finding a healthy screen time balance. With a lot of what was being posted online, it made Stephanie feel like she was doing a bad job as a parent and it started to take her to an unhealthy space. As Aspen got older and became interested in shows and movies, they started to become more aware of their personal screen time habits as well. During this time is when Stephanie and Alex decided to take out the TV from their living room and move it to their back porch. 

Intentionally Inconvenient TV Setup

At this season in their life, Stephanie and her family lived in a smaller home and when they thought of what they wanted their living room space to be, the TV just didn’t fit. They already didn’t use it too frequently but it also just didn’t fit in the space aesthetically. 

Keywords:

Screen Time, Motherhood, Parenting, Family, Technology, Balance, Boundaries, Routines, Children, TV, Anxiety, Social Media, Anti-Screen Time Movement, Board Games, Outdoor Play, Engaging Content, Trash Truck, Netflix, TV-Free Living Room, Intentional Use of Time, Morning Routine, Workout Videos, Tools, Toys, Mealtime, Car Rides, Grandparents, Friends, Communication, Educational Content, Entertainment, Creativity, Boredom, Skills, Interests, Messy Motherhood Podcast, Stephanie Boo, Instagram, Self-Care, Reviews