screen time

screen time is a very controversial subject with almost everyone. every parent, grandparent, teacher, friend, aunt, expert and psychologist has a theory that they believe is 150 percent right on the money. i've tried my best to listen to all of these ideas with mad respect and make the best decisions for my little buns.

honest moment. atticus probably spends about an hour in front of a screen each day. horrors! this time is usually broken down into a few minutes at a time, that occur multiple times throughout every day. these minutes are not based on a sticker reward system or timed with a cute kitchen timer. about 90 percent of his viewing time is spent watching pbs kids and A-B-C mouse. both of these aps help to reinforce letters, numbers, sounds, reading and education on every subject from dinosaurs and science to manners and family. stuff we've already taught him. the other ten percent of atty's screen time is random, stuff like the end of wheel of fortune, bits of the cosby show or a G-O-A-L in a soccer match. we also have shown atticus things like the red balloon, somewhere over the rainbow and make 'em laugh. we also listen to music all the time,  atticus is frequently requesting his name sake, mr. sam cooke ("cooke! cooke!") and sings along with, "ohhhh ahhhh"of chain gang.

i believe this usage of screen time is absolutely dandy for our family. every person needs time to relax, rest and reset in multiple ways. some of the ways we relax, rest and reset: going for two-four walks every single day, swimming, reading dozens of books every single day, go to the park, building with blocks, playing in his house, taking pictures, singing songs, helping mama cook, playing with play doh, playing the piano, guitar and making anything out of a drum, talking his brains out, a million other ways and yes, a bit of screen time.

my philosophy is if five minutes helps us get a cranky pants mood out of our system, i am all for it. this does not mean i hand atticus the ipad as soon as he gets upset. no. i offer multiple distractions, see above. BUT sometimes he watches a little bit of "his shows" on the pad.

my point of all this jabber isn't to convince you to follow my parenting style. this is just what works for our family. i don't think i'll end up with a serial killer, delayed learner or even a lazy kid because of this screen time. i'm only trying to show that with moderation and guidance, a child can have some screen time that exposes them to new ideas, great movies, music and even, a little fun in the process.

how do you feel about screen time? i'd love to hear your thoughts!