Screen time is a problem. One of my darling children could kind of take it or leave it. Find something else to do? Maybe, maybe not, but put it away? Okay.

The other child has a massive addiction. And that’s not an exaggeration. Getting them off the screen practically causes physical withdrawal symptoms. And that child’s behavior really changes with the amount of screen time they use. So that sucks.

The problem is, again, that child also uses the screen to socialize. Connecting with friends far and near helps improve mood and behavior. So it’s like a see-saw. Happy kid talking with friends! Crack addict kid when asked to stop!

BTW, if you’re judging me right now, just mosey on out and find a new blog.

The thing is, the child on the other end of the line is getting a tremendous amount of screen time too. I know parenting involves a lot of being the bad guy, but nobody wants to be the bad guy. It’s not fun and we’re all stuck in this cabin together and there’s no panic room to escape to.

So I keep hoping that the other mom is going to be the bad guy with her child and make her child get off the computer so I can be like “Gee, I would have given you another 26 hours straight but it looks like your friend had to go, so sad.” And I wonder if she has the same thought about me. Are we playing some kind of screen time chicken, each hoping the other sets the limit so we don’t have to?

And I really like this mom too. What have we come to?