Nutrition is my passion, but I am always searching for additional ways to improve my health and the health and wellbeing of my family. I wanted to share a recent “experiment” that went really really well for my family 🙌🏻
My 4 year old son had been struggling for a few months with regulating his emotions. He would get angry and revert to hitting or other aggressive behavior. He began talking back to us and became more defiant. He was also carrying this behavior into school. We began noticing that his behavior was worse after watching TV, his iPad, etc and it didn’t matter how little he watched. He would go from his authentically sweet and witty self to a an unpredictable tornado of emotions.
We talked to him about our concerns and explained that we would like to take a break from all screen time. Of course he disliked this idea very very very much.
The first couple of days were really hard. He asked incessantly to watch TV. Even though we were down to about 30-60 minutes a day before completely eliminating it, you would have thought he had watched tv all day every day. He was detoxing. TV withdrawal. I was exhausted come bedtime.
After a few days of him realizing that we weren’t budging on our new rule, he started finding other things to do, which I expected.
But, there were three major changes that I didn’t expect.
1. He learned to play by himself more. This was huge because my son is the type of child who does not like being alone. He wants someone to play with at all times. This was one of the reasons I was terrified to cut TV. When was I going to get anything done? Surprisingly, he started becoming more imaginative when he played and enjoyed playing on his own more.
2. His behavior and mood improved dramatically. Don’t get me wrong, he still has his moments. He’s 4. But, he is able to regulate so much faster and the situations that would have sent him into a frenzy before no longer affect him as much. Bedtime is easier and he’s doing GREAT in school! His teacher started doing a sticker chart to help motivate him to make better choices when interacting with his classmates. Last week, his teacher told us he was doing great and no longer needed the sticker chart! #success
3. He fell in love with books! This was by far the biggest change we saw. My son would pick up books a little throughout the day but now he cannot get enough of them. We read books in the morning until I leave for work and that’s all he wants to do when I get home until bed. The weekend is filled with reading. He’s asking about the letters and words and is genuinely interested in learning to read. I’ve brought over 50 different books home from the library for him in the last 4 weeks and he acts like I just bought him a new car each time. I don’t ever want him to lose his excitement for books. It’s truly amazing. The amount of quality time we spend together has also increased. Instead of staring at the TV together, we’re snuggling, talking, and engaging. It’s my favorite time and now I get to do it a lot more.
The funny thing is, I can’t remember the last time he asked to watch TV. He’s more interested in his toys and books to even care. He’s become more creative and inquisitive. I didn’t think it was possible to enjoy him more than I already did.
My almost 2 year old really wasn’t into TV and has loved to look through books since he was tiny. He wasn’t phased by the screen strike. If anything, he looks through books more than he did before which I didn’t think was possible.
It’s important to note that this is not a post to make other parents feel bad about their TV/screen choices. Lord knows I have much to learn! If your kids watch TV and it works for your family, by all means continue. But if you’re like us and wonder whether or not screen time could be affecting your little one’s behavior, I recommend taking a break for 30 days and see what happens. I’m confident that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Have you tried this? How did it work for your family?
Questions? Just ask!
Want to work with me 1:1 to create the perfect diet for you and/or your family? Contact me today at dana@thrivekin.com.