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Letting Go of Screen Time Guidelines… Once Again
by Sarah Thompson
Updated: Jan. 19, 2022
The pandemic screen time restrictions are officially over—thanks to the surge of the omicron variant and dreary winter conditions.
Last week, my son’s basketball season was halted due to rising COVID-19 cases in our community. Just a week prior, my daughter’s tennis classes were suspended because many instructors and students were either isolating or unwell. In a matter of days, the meticulously planned schedule I had constructed back in September—designed to keep our bodies moving, minds stimulated, and eyes away from screens—was rendered useless. We found ourselves back in a situation where we were largely confined at home.
Then the snow began to fall. And ice followed. Even if there had been an option to go somewhere, we wouldn’t have been able to get there.
With all the cancellations, quarantines, increasing case counts, and miserable weather, we have spent a lot of time indoors. And during much of that time, my kids were glued to their screens—switching between Roblox, Netflix, YouTube, and other platforms. And I allowed it.
Instead of brainstorming a new craft or baking another cake, instead of pulling out a board game or encouraging them to join me for a family Pilates session, I let them roam from screen to screen, with only breaks for family meals or to assist me with household tasks.
I metaphorically crumpled up our screen time rules and tossed them out the window, where they’ll remain for the next few weeks while COVID-19 persists, activities are canceled, and the weather is too dismal to discuss. Managing work from home, maintaining the household, and keeping two tweens (and a dog) healthy and happy during a pandemic requires more than I have to give right now. After nearly two years of pandemic life, I’m completely drained and out of creative solutions. Above all, having navigated nearly two years of solo parenting during a pandemic has left me feeling burnt out. My energy and patience reserves are running low.
Ignoring screen time guidelines helps alleviate some of that burnout. For a little while, the house is peaceful. The kids aren’t squabbling. I have the mental bandwidth to tackle some of my endless to-do list. And we can all temporarily forget that the world feels upside down.
Enter the mom guilt. That nagging voice reminds me of everything I should be doing and how detrimental excessive screen time can be for my children’s developing minds.
But also, it’s time to give myself a little grace. Yes, I could have found another craft project or unearthed another board game, but the past two years have been tough for everyone—especially for solo parents who have shouldered the emotional, mental, physical, and financial burdens largely alone. Right now, amidst another COVID-19 surge and the harshest winter weather, it’s acceptable to lean into survival mode. It’s okay if a Wi-Fi connection is central to that survival. After all, my kids won’t experience irreversible harm from watching Encanto for the seventeenth time.
If I can just depend on screens a bit longer (a sentiment echoed by parents everywhere), my kids will have a mom whose patience is intact enough to enjoy one of those Encanto viewings with them once I’ve checked off some deadlines. A mom whose nerves aren’t too frayed to play outside in the snow on weekends. A mom who is doing her best, which ultimately matters more than screen time rules in the long run. At least that’s what I hope.
This article was originally published on Jan. 19, 2022.
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