I’ve been debating with myself whether or not to issue this challenge, knowing on one hand how very difficult it would be for some, and for others it would be offensive to think someone thought you were not already doing it. I am not trying to instill guilt or resentment. I just feel it needs to be said.
Take an hour or two – no screens, no phones, no online games, for anyone, (including you) and give your children uninterrupted attention doing something they want to do with you.
I see adults with phones at Flow and Urban Air, at baseball games, and at the YMCA playground. Better than sitting in front of TVs or computers, yes, but what children really want and need is real ATTENTION from their adults. Play. Ideas. Conversation. When we are not present for them, we start to lose them. I see this happening at younger and younger ages in my 40 year career. Student disinterest and discount of adult opinion and actual engagement is rampant.
Research is continually coming up with the detrimental effects of screen time on developing brains – on attention, social relationships, and self-esteem. But I am not a luddite. I have been an advocate for decades for using tech for what it can do that other things can’t in classrooms. (I just got excited about using holograms for instruction…funny though, an example of problematic tech is it just corrected my typo on “instruction” to “insurrection” …no lie!)
Back in the day, our parents worried about too much TV. I think the accessibility of digital distraction is exponentially more problematic than previous decades’ TV options. Unfortunately, it has become easy to let children distract themselves so we can get other things done, or simply distract or entertain ourselves!
Big point: Children need live, physical, visceral interactions in real time with real people in the real world. How else can we expect them to become who we hope and dream they will become?
P.S. If you want to get some great ideas for having fun with children, take a look at Bluey. I am inspired by Bandit’s parenting every time I watch the show!
Dr. Mary Beth Cunat
Principal – Spectrum Progressive School of Rockford
