There are so many times when you will hear adults complain over the amount of time that kids are spending in front of screens. If we are being honest with ourselves, the problem isn’t usually with the kids… it’s with the adults. Kids are sponges. When they see adults spending the majority of their days in front of screens, what do you think the kids are going to want to do? Rather than complaining about the amount of time that kids are spending in front of a screen, its important for the adults to put their own screens away to be the example.
Over the past 2 1/2 years, I have tried really hard to make time each day to put away my phone and just spend time with my kids. Does it happen every single day? Unfortunately, it does not. BUT I am making the effort to let it happen on a pretty regular basis. That is why I loved the concept of National Day of Unplugging when I heard about it. It is a day where unplugging is literally celebrated! When I was asked to join in on unplugging with LEGO, I just knew I had to join!
Now, before you start thinking about the amount of money I was paid to unplug and write this post, I will stop you there and let you know that I agreed to do this for only the trade of a box of LEGO bricks. This cause is way too important to me to worry about dollar signs. I truly believe this is a real issue that is beginning to tear apart families nationwide.
Do I think that LEGO bricks are going to save our families from the epidemic that is “screen time”? No, but it is definitely a good start! This box of Classic LEGO bricks is the first LEGO set that we have owned that isn’t a character set. I was curious to see how my daughter would do when the bricks don’t necessarily have an assigned purpose.
I was shocked to see just how much joy these simple bricks brought her. She played with this box of LEGO bricks for 3 days straight! I would join her when I could and she continued to play when I wasn’t able to. We don’t give our kids enough credit! Their ability to enjoy little things that don’t involve a screen is probably far beyond our own abilities!
So, I leave you with this challenge. Next time you go to make a comment about your child’s screen consumption, think about your own screen time and try to set a better example. Set aside 20-30 minutes a day that you can turn off all of the screens in the house and just spend time together. It has made a huge difference in my life!
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