For the Mom whose Kids are Glued to an iPad

For twenty-five years, we managed to keep Nintendos and Gameboys and X-boxes out of our home, because we didn’t want our children to waste their childhood playing video games.

But enter the age of the iPhone and guess what? Our kids spend far more time staring at screens than we would prefer, not only to the neglect of more creative pursuits like art and music and pleasure reading, but sometimes even before their homework and chores have been completed.

So if you are a mom whose child is glued to an iPad, I’m right there with you. And if you also happen to be a list-maker and goal-setter, you’ll love the chart I created this morning to help my kids disentangle themselves from the clutches of technology — at least until they’ve attended to their other responsibilities and spent some time doing activities that don’t require electricity, such as reading books, drawing pictures, riding bikes, or practicing the piano:

If you prefer a smaller size, you can also print them out two-per-page:

I printed out enough copies for every member of the house, including myself. Although I have no desire to play video games, I could use a reminder to stay off social media until I’ve read, exercised, and done a load of laundry every morning!