Listen, I see all the research about screen time. But yesterday I had to take my 4yo to the DMV for 2 hours. Gave him the iPad with some shows and honestly? Best parenting decision I made that day. He was content, I got my stuff done, nobody had a meltdown. Sure I limit it most days but sometimes a little screen time is just practical parenting. Anyone else not feel guilty about it?
2 hours at the DMV with a 4yo sans iPad sounds like a nightmare. Honestly anyone judging you for that decision has never sat in a waiting room with a bored preschooler.
This is exactly what screens are for. Survival mode parenting is still parenting. One afternoon on an iPad didn't ruin your kid.
The iPad isn't the enemy. It's a tool. Using it strategically for rough situations isn't the same as plopping your kid in front of it all day. You made the right call.
I feel this so hard. The research people cite is mostly about passive consumption all day, not strategic use during genuinely impossible situations. You're fine.
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Lmao this is peak parenting. All those articles about screen time are written by people who've never had to sit in a DMV with an overtired kid.