By Harsh Dave
Have you ever felt that having an uncomfortable conversation with your child would just drive them away? It’s hurtful to feel someone close to you shut themselves off when they’re around you. At the same time, we need to be able communicate with our children the limits and conditions that will establish a healthy relationship for them to flourish. A conversation about screen time is a perfect example of how difficult it can be to set reasonable limits. Being glued to a screen for most of the day can feel like a devastating waste of time for us, and it isn’t healthy for a child to be that disconnected from the physical world around them.
People need to follow their own rules if anyone is going to respect them. If we are going to motivate our children then we need to hold ourselves accountable. That means if you set limits for your kids then you should set limits for yourself as well and stick to them! If someone told you to act a certain way and did the complete opposite, you probably would not feel very motivated to stick to those rules, and its unreasonable for you to expect your kids to act differently unless you motivate them!
Try setting a goal with your kids! Both of you can commit to limit on screen time, and if you both meet your goal you can do something fun together that you know will put a smile on both your faces! A day at the Zoo or the Aquarium would be perfect motivation, because the reward would have them interact with all kinds of different living creatures. Additionally, setting and accomplishing this goal will encourage your children to set goals for themselves as they grow. They’ll start to understand that goal-setting, will power and discipline are key to achieving.
While something big to look forward to is a great motivational tool, little goals are important too! If you need to make managing screen time a priority for your child, set little goals and rewards for them, and do your best to educate them how important it is to develop good habits around screen time.
