Magic · Daily Grind
Discipline & Screen Time (Kids)
Definition
While it’s no fun to discipline kids, the Magic is in setting critical boundaries and giving them tools that will impact how safe they feel and how they conduct themselves for a lifetime. The goal is not for one parent to be responsible for discipline while the other holds “Fun! & Playing” forever. That’s why this card requires ongoing collaboration between partners, with one cardholder at a time taking the lead. For example, screen time. This came up as the most discussed disciplinary issue within families. It’s a biggie, and if you hold this card, you may conduct research about an appropriate amount of screen time for your kids and consult with your partner about reasonable boundaries, along with the parameters for taking it away; then you’ll each enforce your family’s rules and consequences on an ongoing basis.
Conception
Your kids make mistakes
Planning
- Researching appropriate discipline for different life stages
- Devising a strategy to recommend to your spouse
- Setting up parental controls, negotiating what games/sites your kid can visit, downloading one of those apps that turns the Wi-Fi off on your child’s device after a certain number of minutes
- Informing childcare helpers of limits as needed
- Updating plan as needed
Execution
- Informing child and enforcing limits
Minimum Standard of Care
Are you guiding your children to know right from wrong and the consequences of their actions? What is appropriate for them to watch and for how long?