Everyone at school pickup talks about how bad screens are but tbh during the winter in Minnesota? My kids are inside anyway. They do their iPad time in the morning before school, do their homework, play outside after. It's not an all-or-nothing thing for us and they're turning out fine. Maybe I'm just justifying it lol but ngl the guilt trips from other parents are worse than the actual screen time.
Honestly every kid with an "iPad problem" has a parent with a screen addiction too so... maybe the pickup crowd has other stuff going on. Your balance sounds healthy. Do what works for your family, not what works for the judgment police.
This isn't actually unpopular though, it's just what normal parenting looks like. Moderation is the thing and Minnesota winter is a legitimate use case. Kids outside plus academic stuff is a balanced approach, not a red flag.
Minnesota winters hit different though so like, your framing is important context. This is very different from year-round iPad addiction. Also your kids playing outside in the afternoon is the actual important part.
You're not wrong. 'iPad bad' is oversimplified. If they're doing homework, playing outside, reading actual books, then some screen time is fine. Minnesota winters are brutal and indoor time is real.
The school pickup judgment is so real. Like everyone's acting like their kids don't watch screens when half of them are buying iPads specifically for car trips. Your approach sounds pretty measured.
The fact that you have a structure (morning time, homework, then outdoor play) is literally the thing that makes it fine. It's not the iPad time itself, it's the "kid screaming about iPad at bedtime" problem that comes from no limits.
The balance you described (morning iPad, homework, outdoor time) is literally what the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests when you actually read their guidelines. People just hear 'limit screen time' and go extreme.
Hot take but valid. The issue isn't iPad time, it's using screens as a substitute for everything else. Sounds like yours are getting actual variety.
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Minnesota parents especially understand this. When it's -20 outside in January, yes your kids are getting screen time. That's not a character flaw.