Screen Time

I believe technology advancement is reaching us 3 or 4 times faster it did before, OK, it may be a little slower/ not as fast but with every passing minute there is a new discovery. This reminds me of Jetsons (a cartoon series from 80’s), I used to watch this series at a national TV channel, loved the way people live high up in the sky, enjoying space life, travelling with their own small jets, surrounded by robots and gadgets. No concept of land, all massive constructions, schools and stadiums were in the same way, ‘high up in the sky’. I was highly amazed with the technology they used, and wanted to join that part of world as soon I grow up.

Why someone won’t be astonished with such an outlook? Why someone won’t think to bring all those comforts in his life? and why the generation after generation will not demand for more perks than the ones enjoyed by their parents? Huh!

Seems that this is our born right. Just see! How lovely a toddler looks when he holds such a big gadget and acts like if he is calling someone, ‘My cutie pie!’ Let me take your picture. Next time, the same toddler cries, Mama! Please take my picture, see I’m painting a duck. ‘Aww’, my child, here you go, click, click, click.

I think both gross and fine motor skills can effectively be judged by observing how well a child can handle a gadget and how well he can use his little fingers to flip those touch screen icons. What else we can wish for? OK, sarcasm a part, we all have taken some or more time to realize what’s wrong with this technical aura surrounding us.

Since we are stuck in a bit of situation, but that does not mean to start thinking for reverting to Flintstones era.  However, we need to draw the thin line and maintain it in such a way which would be beneficial for ourselves. Remind you, maintenance is the key to the door which will allow peace (eeeeee) in your life.

I got a reality check almost 6 months ago, when my toddler became all addicted to this screen time. Thanks to Mama, for initiating it so earlier and harder that screen remained there with every breath. For us, screen time was watching all those downloaded animated cartoons and poems on our TV. Downloaded after scrutiny, as they should coincide with Mama’s Goal of learning English Language.

Mama’s goals, sigh! I can say my goal was an impressive one but the followed approach was more aggressive than required. I got a complaint from his teacher to check on his screen time as he remains frustrated all the time. The little mind was not getting much avenue to explore and break the spectra. Started thinking to reduce the screen time but was much afraid for facing those tantrums from his side. Moreover, what we are going to do if he does not remain captivated in something? Who’s going to do the chores? And what about the next day preparations? Off course, I work from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and I need to windup everything at time and every second matters to me!

Number of thoughts were bouncing in my head, then I hold myself and thought to follow my gut feeling. Accepted the biggest challenge to cut the after-meal screen time at night and replaced those sessions with the ‘play or activity time’. Started planning small pasting, painting, peeling, and juicing ideas for him and positive effects started appearing eventually. Within a short span, I decided to cut the other slot of screen time which was our meal time and the only replacement which I could think of were books. As, those can make him sit on his high chair in a decent way, so we could finish our meals.

Books; my second love, can’t thank them more. This replacement hardly took 2 to 3 days and we switched to reading in such a way that I didn’t find my toddler asking me for his screen time more than once or twice. Now, reading time is our favorite time, have gathered so many books from different sources (Thanks to Paramount Exhibition, Toy Chest Pakistan(toychestpk.com), Leader’s Creators –Usborne books and Learning Steps). We started finishing two to three books during a meal time easily. Yes, you read it right, we select two to three books for our meal time and finish all of them in those 30 minutes. Don’t be too amazed, toddler’s books have less text 😊

No offense, for the moms who have successfully trained their kids to be seated and hooked with every bite of meal. Hats off to them. The above is just what worked for us and I believe we should follow what suits are settings more.

Good part is we are now working in a team. We read and play all the time we get to spend together. With my kitchen cores, he is either helping Mama (to add, he has become very helpful and very good at peeling few things and making juices with Mama’s help) or his Baba becomes our life’s saver and comes for our rescue, I mean to play with him. The screen time has now reduced to only few minutes (between 15 to 30), when my little one gets boar in the evening and no one could be more accommodating because of other tasks or when he is anxiously waiting for his Mama to come back home and be a Monkey for him. My cutie pie!