One of the ongoing debates among parents is how to regulate a child’s screen time, often with moms, dads and “experts” lending their ideas on what restrictions to set. This gets evermore tricky with the increasing number of available devices (televisions, computers, tablets, cell phones) and their mobility allowing them to be viewed not only at home but almost everywhere at any time.

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages most screen time for children under age 6 and, after that, it calls for encouraging “healthy habits” that include limits on when and where screens can be used. The problem is, as The Mayo Clinic notes, “As your child grows, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work as well. You’ll need to decide how much media to let your child use each day and what’s appropriate.”

Clearly, no right or wrong answer exists. Parents must do what they feel is best for their child in a given circumstance. In our house we’ve adopted a perspective that somewhat goes against the norm: We have no restrictions on our children’s screen time.

Our reasons for unlimited screen time

Here are some of the main reasons we use this approach, and some of our personal results:

1. We believe rationing a child’s screen time leads to dependency, even a sort of addiction. Living in a state of constant fear or anxiety that something we enjoy could be taken away often leads to an all-consuming obsession with that thing whenever we have it.
2. We don’t put devices on a pedestal. As they’re constantly and readily available for our children, our kids don’t view devices as anything special. More often than not, our two children will choose to play with toys, color or read a book over using their tablets. Since they’ve grown accustomed to them always being there, there’s never been a need to have them at all times.
3. We don’t allow an entirely free range of use when it comes to devices. Both our children’s tablets are governed by parental controls (they’re Android, and we utilize the Family Link app). We also moderate the content they’re allowed to watch so that anything they might see has already been pre-approved.

Admittedly, this approach hasn’t been entirely without issues. However, in talking to multiple other parents with a more “traditional” approach, I realized our family has had fewer arguments and complaints about devices and those we have had have been much less severe.

This approach has also allowed us to effectively “steer into the skid” in terms of how technology is being used for educational purposes. Our son is in kindergarten and like many kids, his school assigned him an iPad for classwork. Utilizing technology will become more and more prevalent as the years go by, and as parents, we want to make sure we’ve done everything possible to nurture a positive and healthy relationship between our children and their devices.

No restrictions on screen time photo: © Brocreative / Adobe Stock.

There’s a lot to juggle when it comes to parenting. Hitting the gym for a workout quickly drops on the priority list when it comes to your children’s needs. Some simple fitness tips to help busy parents get back on track would surely be welcome, right?

It would. A 2014 study from the University of Pittsburgh concluded that new parents not only are less physically active than singles or married couples without children but also that they took a steeper, deeper fall into a sedentary lifestyle.

No matter how busy our schedules, it’s important we moms and dads remind ourselves that staying in shape doesn’t just benefit us. It benefits our children as well. Improving your health through regular exercise is one of the best ways to ensure you’re able to keep up with your active children (and their busy schedules) and able to be there for them for years to come.

Here are some fitness tips to help overwhelmed parents get on the healthy track:

Simple fitness tips for busy parents

1. A little exercise can go a long way, mom and dad

Starting a new exercise routine is daunting, especially if you haven’t been active in awhile. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged early on. People, parents or not, tend to try to do too much after doing too little for an extended period of time. The most important of these fitness tips, especially when starting out, is to focus on just doing SOMETHING:

• Go for a short walk.
• If you have stairs, make two trips up and down every time you use them instead of one.
• Try the “repetitive habit” trick. For example, do five pushups and five bodyweight squats every time you use the restroom throughout the workday.

It may not seem like much, but these little efforts will add up over time.

2. Strive for consistency — it’s an exercise “routine,” after all

One of the best ways for parents to build healthy habits is to set up a fitness routine that works for their schedule.

If you typically take lunch at the same time every day, plan for a short walk or jog during that time. If your schedule is more random, plan an exercise routine for your days off or free time.

Remember the core principle of the fitness tip above: You don’t have to do a lot to be effective. Small and consistent improvements over time will help you achieve your goals.

3. Focus on the now, not your past

Like many parents, I was extremely active for most of my life before having children. When I started refocusing on my personal fitness again, I was plagued with memories of what I used to be able to do. Don’t get weighed down with how much you once could bench, how far you used to run, or how many days a week you used to be able to exercise. Instead, focus on what you’re doing now, and what you can continue to do in the future. It may not be at the same level, but it can still be more than enough.

BONUS FITNESS TIP: Get the whole family involved

Fitness doesn’t have to be a solo journey. There are tons of activities that involve the entire family, such as hikes, bike riding or even just playing around in the backyard.

Even if your kids or spouse are not directly participating in the activity you are doing, they can still be a part of your fitness routine. If you exercise at home, set up a play space nearby where your children can hang out during your workout. If part of your workout is timed, teach your children to use a stopwatch to help you.

Overall, it helps to keep a clear focus on why fitness is important as a parent. It’ll help ensure you remain an active participant in your children’s lives for as long as possible.

Fitness tips for busy parents photo: ©LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS / Adobe Stock.

The pandemic introduced a wide range of never-before-encountered issues for stay-at-home parents, but none so important — if not widely talked about — as adjusting to your partner or spouse working remotely alongside you from home.

Here are three tips I’ve pieced together from personal experience over the past 16 months:

1. Share your schedules

My now work-at-home wife frequently has high-level meetings with clients, and the last thing she needs is the loud sound of kids playing in the background. To prevent this, each morning we take time to discuss her schedule for that day so I can plan activities outdoors or away from the house during those sensitive work times. This is extra helpful when the weather forecast isn’t cooperative, such as during rainstorms, or in the winter, and simply playing in the yard isn’t an option.

2. Plan weekend activities in advance

The key here is to plan activities, not chores. We like to fill our weekends with parks, swimming or other outdoor adventures. Planning gives us both something to look forward to, especially during the long weeks of childcare and work. I do my best to take care of things like laundry and cleaning during the week so that we can both enjoy the weekends as family time.

3. Save store trips for evenings/weekends when possible

Before the pandemic, my wife had close to an hour’s drive, round trip, to work. Once she began working from home, it was common for her to go two to three days straight without leaving our property. By holding off shopping at the grocery store or a big box store until she was done with work, it gave her a much-needed break from the four walls of our home along with some family time. If she was in the mood to go alone on these shopping runs, it gave her a bonus — quiet time alone.

4) BONUS TIP: ‘Alone time’ is not a bad thing

It’s natural to feel guilty about wanting a bit of time to yourself, especially when most days are spent in the same house as your children and spouse. We make sure to communicate to each other our needs and desires for time by ourselves. Although they don’t happen too often, we both know it’s something that’s extremely important.

If you are a stay-at-home parent with a partner or spouse working remotely, none of these tips by themselves are perfect. Even used in combination, they don’t entirely relieve all the stress of these difficult times. If you’re a stay-at-home parent that’s struggling during this time, I hope they can offer a starting point for you and your family.

Spouse working remotely photo: © David Pereiras / Adobe Stock.