Whether its Taylor Swift or One Direction that your kids idolize, just remember one thing: no matter how much wrong stuff they say about you in their rebellious teen years, their first and foremost role model will always be you!
One of the biggest traits of any kid is their incredible observing power that they use to navigate and learn new things. It’s their way of taking cue from people around them. As a parent, you tend to give a lot of vibes to your kids—both positive and negative.
Well, all of this has a biological reasoning behind it. The mirror neurons in our body, they start to fire at the brain, whenever they see someone else performing a certain task. If kids will see that you are using your smartphones as a cure to boredom, it’s very uncommon that they won’t do the same. And the worst part—it’s not very easy to unlearn.
Moreover, adults, just like kids are prone to screen addiction. In fact, it’s really contagious amongst parents. When kids won’t be able to find their parents during their sorrows, it’s very natural that they would move to other alternatives to satisfy cravings of pleasure and affection that aren’t getting from their digitally obsessed parents.
By taking a portion of your time away for digital detoxing, you are setting a very good example. This would also give your kids more time to interact with you, what they desperately need for developing their communication and social skills.
So just like you tell your kids how to use their electronic devices appropriately, it’s a good time now to teach them how to put those devices away for some time. Take a peek through these tips, it might help:
Limit Your Smartphone Use In Front Of Your Kids
Set some designated times when you completely cut back on smartphone use. The best part of the day would be around meal times so that the whole family can socialize with each other. ‘No phones during meals’ is a very common rule that’s been used by many parents. If you want something like that but with better results, add it the smartphone contract that you may have with your child.
Don’t Use Phones before Going to Bed
Turning away from smartphones before sleep is not only good for your kids, it’s also good for your own health. It’s been explained so many times how screen glow can disturb the circadian muscles rhythm, which interferes with the sleep. So, say not to phones before sleep time.
American kids are heavily deprived of sleep just for the exactly same reason. It’s very important for kids to have a good night’s sleep for healthy development.
Set Aside Time to Talk To Your Kid
No matter how worried are you about your kids’ screen addiction, there is no better way to be a good parent than by setting aside some quality time for your kids. Listen to what they are saying—you will be surprised to hear what they have in store for you!
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