Who's the master and who's the slave?

Here's an audio clip so you can listen to the Mom Tip while you wipe fingerprints off the TV.

Hi, I’m Regan Barnes from Momivate, and this is your two-minute Mom Tip empowering you to elevate your mothering experience.

I get it! I get it, fellow mamas -- I TOTALLY understand why TV is placed on a pedestal in our society. For one thing,

• It's basically a free babysitter, available at our beck and call 
  
• And it’s so nice that while my children are busy watching TV, they don't make very big messes (although this also means they aren't learning how to clean up messes...) 
  
• Another positive is that they tend to get so absorbed in the TV program that they don't fight with each other! However, this form of hypnotized peace results in fewer opportunities to learn negotiation, compromise, forgiveness, and other positive relationship skills that come with conflict. Besides, when they're done watching, it feels like they fight MORE than if they hadn't watched it at all... as though the supposedly benign show has still had a negative effect.
  
• Finally, PBS and similar educational programming make us feel good about letting them watch -- "It's like Preschool at Home" is one of the ditties I've heard the network claim... BUT preschool is interactive, multi-sensory, creative, and attendees can practice playing and getting along with peers… so I’m not convinced.
  

Why would I ever feel inclined to give up the free babysitter, free preschool, and fight-and-mess-preventer? 

Well, the nonprofit Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood has researched why it’s crucial to curb our children’s screen use. They sponsor Screen Free Week, providing tons of resources to help us succeed in this practically impossible endeavor. 

Additionally, they help us as parents teach tech-responsibility to our children because the reality is that being screen-free is a luxury not many of us can afford, oddly enough. So we need to be putting the necessary effort into teaching screen self-control starting as soon as the baby pretends her banana is a phone. 
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It absolutely definitely one hundred percent totally completely and drastically affects the atmosphere in our home when our “master-and-slave” relationship with screens has “we, the people” as the masters, not the slaves.

Mom, try going screen free for a day or two each week, then share if this practice elevates your mothering!