Seasons and Screens

Let’s be honest, there are times and seasons in life where it is much more difficult to stick to healthy screen-time limits. Hello Covid! Nothing like getting sick in December and January to derail carefully placed boundaries. So let’s be real. There are going to be times when our children spend more time on screens than is healthy. So is that it? Are our children just doomed to get unhealthy amounts of screen-time for the rest of their lives?

Of course not!

Just as winter gives way to spring, we can begin again and implement healthy screen-time limits in our homes.

I know my children are going to be on screens more during the winter months than any other months of the year. The cold, the decrease in daylight, and the increase in viral illnesses make this next to inevitable. Nevertheless, I know I can still teach my children habits and lifestyle principles that will help them in their lives even during a season when they are getting more screen-time than I would like.

So what can we focus on to continue teaching our children healthy lifestyle habits during winter months or other times when circumstances are adverse?

Prioritize our focus. We cannot do everything we’re used to doing when circumstances are difficult. As a result, we likely can only focus on one or two healthy screen-time routines for our children.

One routine I’ve found helpful to focus on during difficult seasons is having my children still do their chores and school work before playing on screens. This practice keeps my kiddos from being on screens all day long and reinforces the healthy habit of doing work before play. Even though my kids will still fight me on this routine, it helps both my kids and I feel a bit more structure and stability during difficult or chaotic times (see The Unpopular but Essential Skill).

The other practice I do my best to make a priority in adverse circumstances is bedtime. Even when bedtime ends up being later than I’d like it to be, I know I don’t want screens putting my kids to bed! This is because being on screens right before sleeping is very hard on the brain and can lead to a bunch of unhealthy lifestyle habits (see Bedtime: A Closer Look for more on bedtime). Because a good bedtime routine is so beneficial for children, I do my best to prioritize it. For example, just a couple days ago, I found audio books and puzzles were a good backup to our usual routine of reading stories at bedtime. My kids had something to do to wind down that didn’t involve watching screens, and I didn’t have to read out loud while having a sore throat!

When things get tough (aka: new baby, illness, quarantine, cold weather, etc.), nothing is going to look perfect. But we need not throw in the towel and stop trying. We can keep trying. We may only have enough energy to do one thing to help our kids in their screen-time habits and that’s okay. Our kids need us to do that one thing. It will make a difference.