FAMILY MENTAL WELLNESS
WHAT ABOUT FASTING FROM SCREENS AS A FAMILY?
SUMMER SCREEN TIME ALTERNATIVES: 1. Hop on a bike for a two-wheeled adventure. 2. Host a family game night. 3. Check out one of the metro’s free museums. 4. Give back by volunteering together. 5. Visit a pick-your-own farm for fresh summer produce. 6. Cool off at a local splash pad. 7. Conduct a science experiment with items you already have at home. 8. Spend time stargazing. 9. Set up a play date at a new-to-you park. 10. Drop a line in a kid-friendly fishing spot. Visit metrofamilymagazine.com/screen-time-balance for even more ideas and clickable links! down when and where you can and don’t shame yourself over screen time. Parents are busy and exhausted and oftentimes doing the best they can.” Editor’s note: This article is part of a 10-month series of articles and podcasts with 988 Mental Health Lifeline. Find the full series at metrofamilymagazine.com/mental-health.
Especially if your children are young, McConnell says expecting them to fast from screens for an extended period of time is not realistic. An abrupt change of routine for young kids or removal of the connection to their friends for older kids may make a screen fast more trouble than it's worth. “Having a routine creates a sense of safety for kids and disrupting that can be too hard for them,” said McConnell. Instead of random screen fasts, she advocates setting certain times a day that screens are off limits, for kids and adults alike. That could mean screens are not allowed during mealtimes or after a certain time in the evenings. In McConnell’s home, her sons are not allowed to be on screens in the mornings before school. “So many times, they would get out of bed and immediately ask for their iPads instead of getting ready for school,” said McConnell. “Now they are not allowed to be on iPads in the morning, and they know the routine, so they don’t ask for them anymore. Rather than cutting out screens entirely for a few days or a week, make certain times in your day a ‘hard no’ for screens.” McConnell’s top piece of advice for parents is to not be too hard on themselves when it comes to screen time. “Everything is attached to a screen, so you’re not going to be able to get away from it completely,” said McConnell. “Cut screen time
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METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JULY-AUGUST 2023 13
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