I’m going to be brutally honest and admit that I have a problem. My family has a problem. We are addicted to the TV. Actually, we’re addicted to TV, our phones, the iPads, and the Wii.

Basically, we really need to unplug!

My husband and I are naturally busy people. We seem to be go-go-going all the time. Both of us tend to decompress by sitting on the couch and doing nothing, whether that be mindlessly channel surfing or phone scrolling.

Our four kids are 7 and under. We are well-versed in Minecraft (don’t get it), Super Mario, Paw Patrol, and Surprise Egg videos (really don’t get it), among other things. In our home, we have two iPads, two iPhones, a Wii, and then the kids also play games on the computer.

We also have toys. We have boy toys and girl toys. We have outside toys and inside toys. We have big toys and little toys. We seriously have like millions of toys… that never get played with….

I do have to admit, it’s our fault. We allow them to play, mostly because we allow ourselves to be plugged in. For the past four months, I’ve used the TV as a babysitter. Seeing as my colicky baby wanted to nurse every half hour, the only place I could go was the couch. While that above statement is my excuse, I also managed to get caught up on The Bachelor and The Blacklist, and I discovered The Goldbergs (seriously hilarious!).

Yes, the TV noise has helped drown out all the baby cries, but the whining, arguing, and moodiness has amplified in my other three children. Not to mention, I have felt lazy, unaccomplished, and lonely. After reading this post, I became convicted about my and my family’s priorities. Too much of my day is wasted on the TV. Too much of my kids’ energy is poured into video games. Too much… too much… too much!

I don’t think screen time is all-in-all a bad thing, but I do think my family really needs some face time.

How have you moderated the screen time in your home?

Related Posts:

• Truth Time: How Technology Sucked the Life Out of Me
• Parenting in the Age of “The Screen”