Trying to reduce screen time without being a monster about it

2w ago·1 min read

I've been trying to implement a "no screens after dinner" rule at our house and it's been surprisingly less painful than expected? My 9yo and 12yo actually hang out together without fighting now. We've started doing like board games or just talking about their day. It's only been 2 weeks so maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase but I wanted to share in case anyone else is struggling with this. We didn't go cold turkey - just that one specific rule. Small wins.

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Comments(4)

TTerrence M.Regular2w ago

your 9yo and 12yo actually hanging out willingly is the real victory here. Everyone focuses on the "screens bad" part but nobody talks about how boredom forces them to find something else to do together

CCarl W.Regular2w ago

this is actually genius. the unexpected side effect of "no screens after dinner" is that kids get bored enough to actually engage with each other. My 8yo and 6yo are the same way - suddenly they're playing together instead of parallel-gaming on tablets

PPete A.Regular2w ago

wait what are they actually doing during this no-screen time? Like are we talking board games or just... tolerance of each other's existence?

CCole B.Regular2w ago

How long did it take before it felt less painful? We've tried this before and made it like two days before caving