I saw it again last night—that look you get when no one thinks you’re looking. The kids were sprawled on the rug, their faces bathed in that eerie blue light from the tablet. They were so still, so quiet. And you were sitting on the edge of the sofa, just watching them. There wasn’t anger in your eyes, just… a deep, thoughtful quiet. A quiet I’ve come to recognize. It’s the look you get when you’re solving a puzzle no one else can see. In that moment, I realized that parenting in the digital age has taken on a whole new dimension, and you’re navigating it not with rules and apps, but with your heart.
More Than Just ‘Screen Time’
We see the headlines and the articles filled with ‘parenting digital age tips.’ They talk about minutes and hours, about filters and restrictions. And we try to follow them. But what I see you doing goes so much deeper. I saw it that evening.
You didn’t just announce that screen time was over. You slid onto the floor beside them, not breaking their focus, but joining them in their world for a moment. You asked what they were building in their game. You listened. And then, so gently, you said, “That looks amazing. I wonder if we could build something like that with our real blocks?”
It wasn’t about enforcing a rule; it was about replacing a digital void with a real connection.
You instinctively know that excessive screen time can quietly chip away at those precious face-to-face moments. You’re not just managing their time; you’re protecting their ability to connect, to feel, to be present with us.
Sometimes I’ll catch you staring at them like that, your brow furrowed like you’re reading an invisible instruction manual only moms get.
The Unspoken Worry We Both Share
I know the worry that sits behind your eyes. It’s the same one that keeps me up sometimes. We see how this isolation can have negative effects on their social skills and emotional well-being. We’ve read the studies that show a correlation between too much screen time and issues like anxiety.
It’s the kind of weight that makes you put down your coffee halfway through, isn’t it? Because suddenly all those articles about “healthy limits” feel laughably small against real, breathing kids. But while I tend to get caught up in the fear, you get busy creating the antidote.
Your antidote is mud pies in the backyard. It’s the impromptu dance party in the kitchen while dinner is cooking. It’s the way you insist we all put our phones in a basket during meals, not as a punishment, but so we can actually see each other’s faces when we talk.
Finding Our Own Balance, Led by You
It is so crucial for parents to strike a balance in their children’s technology use. But ‘balance’ isn’t a 50/50 split. I’ve learned from you that it’s a rhythm. It’s knowing when technology can be a wonderful tool for learning or connecting with grandparents far away, and knowing when it’s becoming a crutch that keeps us from dealing with boredom or big feelings.
You’ve shown me that the best modern parenting technology advice isn’t about the tech at all. It’s about strengthening the human connections that tech can so easily weaken. It’s about reading one more story at bedtime, holding a hand on a walk, and looking them in the eye when they tell you about their day.
Source: Eaton Accelerates Transformation of Building and Data Center Infrastructure With Autodesk to Deliver AI-Powered Digital Energy Twin and Software Tools, Financial Post, 2025-09-15