Raise your hand if your child is a huge fan of strict rules limiting their screen time. What’s that, no hands in the air? Not to worry, my hand isn’t raised either.
As the mother of a 13-year-old who loves quality time with his video games and scrolling on YouTube, the screentime rules I’ve established (and do my best to enforce) have become a frequent point of contention.
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but parenting is not always a walk in the park. And given that reality, it’s not unusual to occasionally second-guess yourself — especially when the rules you’ve laid out may seem quite strict or become a source of drama between you and your child.
There are many reasons why parents employ strict rules with children: to keep them safe, teach responsibility and accountability, foster healthy habits, encourage academic discipline and, well, to raise good, well-balanced humans.
Some parental rules have the intended effect, while others may not work as you hoped or planned. On still other occasions, being the bad cop and enforcing the rules is just plain hard or exhausting.
