Summer arrives, and it’s easy to get caught up in planning—camps, childcare, screen time limits, and all the logistics that come with the shift. I approach this season with mixed feelings: part of me craves the slower pace and open-ended days; another part already anticipates the chaos of too much unstructured time. For many families,… Read More →
“You are always on the iPad,” I said as I rounded the corner into the dining room and spotted my son on his device. As soon as I said it, I knew it wouldn’t lead to a productive conversation about my kid’s tech habits. I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t hear a response like, “Oh,… Read More →
“Broken!” Miles exclaimed. “It’s broken!” he repeated, his frustration building. It took me a moment to catch on. My nearly three-year-old was standing in front of the TV, furiously trying to swipe at Daniel Tiger with his index finger. Then it clicked—he was trying to move the character like he would on a tablet. And… Read More →
“What is the site or platform you wouldn’t want to live without?” For years, researchers at Common Sense Media have asked kids and teens this question. It’s a revealing one—it cuts through the noise of ever-evolving platforms and trends to uncover the digital spaces that truly matter to young people. While news cycles tend to… Read More →
1. Can We Hold These Three Truths About Tech and Teens at the Same Time? This is an important moment. We have an opportunity to move forward with adolescent needs and development in mind. However, doing so requires that we step up to a challenge: We need to take steps guided by both attention to… Read More →
For parents navigating stressful events, it’s natural to focus on the question, “What should we say to our kids?” Words do matter: we can reassure them that we love them, that we’ll work to keep them safe, and that their job is simply to be a kid, not to take care of us. But it’s… Read More →
The school year starts and, it’s easy to get caught up in logistics—schedules, transportation, supplies, before and after school care, and on and on. I approach these tasks with mixed feelings: on one hand, I’m already nostalgic for the more relaxed pace of summer; on the other, I’m slightly desperate for routine. Hence my focus… Read More →
“But who is going to help her?” Jacob asked. Jacob was a seven-year-old we had just met on the playground. He, along with several other kids including one of my own, had been playing the tag game “Sandman” on the play structure. Suddenly one of the kids tried to take a shortcut off the side… Read More →
“Hey, buddy?” I asked my then four-year-old. “Can you hear my voice?” “Uh-huh,” he answered without looking at me, absentmindedly grabbing a french fry from the plate in front of him without ever moving his eyes toward his meal. I moved my hands in front of his face to interrupt the spell cast over him… Read More →
While unpacking some holiday decorations I found a wish list that my kids had put together years ago. It was heartwarming and included items like “a live owl,” legos, books, and “surprise me.” While the live owl request required some conversation about animal safety, overall the lists were short, sweet, and offline. What grounded children! … Read More →
