If your child’s grandparents are spoiling your children, letting them watch way too much TV, and breaking your screen time rules, this post is for you.
Grandparents giving screen time galore is a very common problem. Thankfully, it is usually an easy fix.
Many of our kids have awesome grandparents that babysit on a regular basis.
Maybe you work outside of the home and your parents keep your kids for you multiple days a week. Or maybe your in-laws entertain your kids while you and your spouse go on a weekly date night.
Maybe you are blessed to have grandparents who help make homeschooling possible by schooling your kids a couple days a week.
Or your in-laws share the load of school pick-ups, drop offs, and carpools to and from sports practice.
However much your child’s grandparents are involved in their life on a weekly basis, you know that they love your children and truly do want what is best for them.
There are two main reasons that grandparents overstep boundaries and give kids too much screen time:
- They are just plain tired like the rest of us. Grandparents know that tablet time or a couple hours of stimulating cartoons will give them a break from your rambunctious young kids. They want to help out with babysitting on a consistent basis but they don’t have the energy of yesteryear. Grandparents figure it is better to spend time with the grandkids while allowing them too much screen time than it is to not see them as often because of their lack of energy.
- They just don’t see the big deal about screen time. Grandparents sometimes think that today’s devices are just upgraded versions of TV. They watched TV when they were little and they let you watch TV when you were little. They might innocently wonder what all the screen time limit fuss is actually about. After all, a little TV never hurt anybody.
How Do I Tell My Grandparents No Screen Time?
Be Specific About the Negative Effects of Screen Time
Explain what your child does after they’ve had too much screen time that concerns you.
Keep a behavior log of the things you notice about your child after they have too much screen time such as…
- Tantrums
- Irritability
- Whining
- Overstimulation
- Dysregulation
- Begging for more screen time
- Trouble transferring to the next activity
- Problems playing independently
- Loss of interest in playing outside
- Issues entertaining themselves
- Sleep issues
- Anxiety
Share this post-screen time behavior log with your child’s grandparents. Chances are, they have noticed the same type of things. They just might not have connected the dots. Or maybe they don’t know what else offer besides screen time.
Share The Positive Too
Also, be sure to share the positive results you have been seeing from reducing screen time at home such as…
- Improved mood and behavior
- Ability to play independently
- Extra time reading good books
- Increased attention span
- Appreciation for simple things
Grab my free printable Screen Free Family Bingo Challenge below!
Offer grandparents alternatives to giving your kids screen time
Do the preventative work of gathering supplies, providing screen-free activities and writing up a sample schedule for your child’s grandparents to follow.
Bring things to the grandparent’s house like a bicycle, bored games, puzzles, Legos, magnetic tiles, beads, string, coloring books, play dough, and audiobooks to occupy your child’s time.
Buy grandparents a passes and subscriptions to screen free places you would like for them to take your kids such as…
- Zoo
- Aquarium
- Inside play place
- Trampoline park
- Indoor rock climbing
- Community pool
- Museum
- Gym
These posts will give your child’s caregivers lots of ideas for how to keep kids busy without electronic devices:
Send Food To Prevent Too Much Screen Time
Bring pre-made meals to the grandparents on days that they will be keeping your kids so that their life is that much easier.
If your child has a packed lunch and the grandparents have a premade lasagna to pop in the oven at supper time, they will be less tempted to give your child screen time so that they can cook meals in peace.
Involve Your Child In Screen Time Boundaries
Talk to your child before and after every visit with their grandparent about what is expected. Let them know that screen time is not an option.
Include your child in the process of limiting screen time. Let them choose what audiobook they would like to listen to during quiet time at Grandma’s house.
Allow your kid to choose some screen-free activities to bring along with them to Grandpa’s house.
Create a behavioral sticker chart and let your child know that Grandma will be keeping track of good behavior as well as whining.
If your child makes it through the week with lots of stickers for playing independently without screen time and honoring Grandma, take them out for ice cream to celebrate at the end of the week.
Give Grandma and Grandpa Lots of Grace
Be gracious and patient with grandparents who want to help you out by watching your kids but feel they need the crutch of screen time to manage the day.
The adjustment to limiting screen time may take a while, but baby steps in the right direction will add up in the long term.
As you seek to make changes to the amount of screen time grandparents give your kids, don’t forget to point out the many things they do right. There is plenty to appreciate about an involved grandparent.
View grandparents all your best allies, not your enemy. Work together to come up with a plan for how much screen time is allowed, if any, and what your kids can do during screen free hours at Grandma’s house.
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