As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, I think every parent has to admit, screen time with our kids is a constant battle. I went through a time where I would feel guilty any time one of my daughters would have a device in her hand. Like I was a ‘lazy mom’ who lets her kids zone out with an iPad instead of parenting them. Fast forward a bit, and lots of talks with my mom friends and I have relented to the fact that devices and craving for screen time is a reality that will be in our daily life, both for kids and adults alike. In fact, it is only getting more prevalent in our lives.
So, as a parent, it was time for me to find a solution other than the unrealistic ‘cold turkey’ approach. Enter Circle with Disney. This chic looking cube pairs with all of your devices via wi-fi and lets you take charge from every angle. From setting daily time limits for each child, based on their ages (so my 5-year-old gets a bit more than my 3-year-old), to setting an internet ‘bedtime’, so they don’t have me to blame for hustling them off the iPad and into bed! You can also choose what apps each device can access, so there is no worry of your kiddos accidentally maneuvering into apps you don’t want them to use.
My favorite though, is being able to see everywhere my kids have spent time by app and online category, all from my own phone. How great is that? No more hovering over them or saying for the tenth time “turn your phone, I need to see what you’re watching!”
Now our family screen time is so much simpler, worry free and actually enjoyable for me. I can relax and use this time to catch up on my own screen to dos, without constantly playing the monitor mom role. And the girls can feel like they are more ‘in control’ as they learn to navigate their devices, without mom constantly in their ear.
And as they get older, Circle will become more and more imperative, as it will allow me to monitor screen time with their friends and even pause their internet! Something tells me that one will be my main bargaining tool for keeping their rooms clean and finishing homework!
I can only imagine how much harder it will get in the coming years to truly be on top of our children’s’ screen time consumption with the avalanche of social media and new ‘it’ apps constantly barraging our world, but I truly feel like I now have a tool to help me navigate this sometime rough water. This little device is our new best buddy and even our dog Aggie looks excited about it!
A big thanks to Circle with Disney for partnering on this post.
~Veronica
