I have a challenge for you. Switch off your TV, unplug it from the wall and don’t turn it back on for (at least) 7 days. Have I gone mad – Perhaps!
For a while now I have been noticing the screen time in our household taking the place of other things which we would rather be doing with our time. In the evenings, a tired husband comes home from work, and after dinner, the laptop and the TV keep us both zoned out until we go to bed, leaving little room for real communication. A sleepless night followed by a wet and windy day, find myself and my toddler cooped up indoors, and the TV goes on. He skips a nap, and desperate for some downtime, I switch it on. But what a difference it makes to his mood – after staring blankly at those colourful and unnatural images, he is not calm and relaxed, but completely wired and full of pent up energy. He is more likely to shout or become angry and frustrated, and so that relaxing break I was craving is all undone while I try to bring my toddler back down to reality.
