"Do What You Need To Do"
- lifelessonsfrommem
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
I read an article today in The Atlantic. I like this magazine because it has many great articles, they are easy to read, and most articles can be “read” to you by AI. I really like that because sometimes I just want to listen. By contrast, there is another magazine called The Guardian. This is a British newspaper, high viewership numbers, and tends to be elaborate and more suited for higher income people.
Why this history lesson about two media outlets? Because there was a study done about parenting and the results were in The Guardian. The results said that children should have less “screen time” and parents should do other things with their children instead of giving them IPads or smartphones to occupy them.
Well, no shit!
The Atlantic commented on this article in The Guardian and basically said the same thing I did. Uhhh, duh!!! Of course children should have less screen time!
But The Atlantic pointed out something else that was interesting. They said that for wealthy, highly educated parents, having less screen time for their children is no problem. They generally will have nannies or babysitters with their children when the parents are working or doing chores. Or they work remotely and at a desk, so they can spend more time with their children. They may have housekeepers to keep their house clean and tidy. They also can afford activities like piano lessons, soccer camp, or elaborate playground equipment in the back yard so their children are not on screens all day.
Most parents are middle or low income parents. They don’t have those luxuries. They have to go into work, be on their feet all day, and then come home to their children who were at day care all day. These parents still need to make dinner, straighten up the house, pay bills, take out the garbage, do the dishes, and all the other things that need to be done to live and try to give their children a good life. Do they put their children in front of an IPad to get dinner made? Absolutely. Do they give their child a smartphone to watch Puppy Patrol while they are at the doctor’s office to keep them quiet? Yup. Does that make them bad parents? Absolutely not.
Listen. I know all about these studies. People have been conducting these studies for millions of years (a little overexaggeration). Yes, the results are true. Children are “better” with less screen time and more human interaction. However, keep in mind two things…
First, I have first hand knowledge that these studies and their “results” are telling only a small part of the story. Kids do better in school, have more communication skills, and have higher IQs because of a variety of reasons–genetics, family dynamics, friendships, parents commitment to education, etc. It is not just because of “screen time”. How do I know this? Because when I was growing up, we had the same studies and the same results. I did not grow up with computers, IPads, or smartphones. I am Generation X–the generation that drank water out of the garden hose! Our screen time was the television, with no streaming choices, watching violent cartoons on Saturday mornings. Guess what? I think my friends and I turned out ok. I was dirt poor but I was educated, happy, and not violent.
Second and more importantly, I have said a zillion times that parenting is the hardest job in the world. As a parent, you need to do what you can to try to have a good life for yourself and your children. Does that mean sometimes we have to take short cuts, like screen time to get dinner made? Absolutely!! The kids will be fine. When you can, use the time in the car to talk to your children, after dinner play some games, and do dishes when they are in bed. But your children will be ok if they watch some shows or play games on the screen.
Parents do NOT need any more guilt trying to raise their children the best that they can. Parents feel guilty about everything–some stuffy scientist does NOT need to make us feel any more guiltier. As parents, we have that covered.
Do the best you can as a parent. The kids will be fine. I promise! Don’t take advice from people who are so busy at work, doing these “studies”, that they don’t even raise their own kids–their partners raise the kids. Do your best and all will be right in the world.
The motto of the article? “Do what you need to do”.
Blog Website: https://www.lifelessonsfrommemaw.com/
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