Good day, ladies. I trust we are all doing great. Welcome to my blog .
It feels really good to be back here after quite some time away. When I saw this week’s topic, I simply smiled, why am I not surprised by the thought-provoking questions? It’s a new year, and I’m definitely expecting more relevant and engaging discussions like this.
Initially, I didn’t plan to participate, but after reading the second question, "With technology ever creeping into daily life, how do you plan an optimal home environment, where family are safe within well-organised conditions, spaces where children can play, explore, and discover without your ever watchful eye? Describe opportunities you seek out when presenting that you feel are important to the household, "an experience involving my five-year-old daughter from about a month ago immediately came to mind, and I felt compelled to contribute.
During her last holiday, one day I heard her unconsciously singing the chorus of a trending but quite provocative song. I gently looked at her, and when she noticed my piercing gaze, she stopped immediately. I was stunned. I asked her where she heard the song from, but she couldn’t exactly figure it out herself.
At that moment, I was confused because I truly believed I had restricted their screen time enough. I didn’t scold her; instead, I kept pondering how she could have picked it up.
Later that night, while casually scrolling through TikTok, the song played in a random video on my FYP and it suddenly dawned on me. She must have picked up the chorus from watching some of my TikTok videos with me.
That was my wake-up call. This was me thinking I had been careful enough.
Since then, I’ve taken extra measures, which I’ll share shortly.
We are living in scary times with technology, the internet, and artificial intelligence. As beneficial as these innovations are, we must be extremely careful about children’s exposure to them in order to keep them sane and protected.
Social media and AI are here to stay, and even adults fall victim to issues like cyberbullying, which often affect mental health.
I don’t have a problem with technology itself; my concern is how people use it. The inability to control how others use these platforms is the real challenge, which is why one must be guarded.
For me, even before having children, I had already made certain decisions that later made parenting choices easier. From the very beginning, I knew it wasn’t a good idea to expose children to prolonged screen time.
I have two girls, ages five and three, and right from the start, screen time has always been limited, whether on the television or phone. I believe that allowing children to explore their environment sparks critical thinking, creativity, and learning through discovery.
Thankfully, we have a big compound where they can freely play in their natural environment. Just the other day, they witnessed one of our goats deliver her babies, and I had to answer loads of questions, lots of them. Lol
Our routine allows about one hour of screen time, two to three times a week. During that time, the TV is strictly set to kids’ channels, and I closely monitor their activities. One loves musicals, while the other enjoys drama and languages.so we do 30 minutes of each's choice.
There was a time I felt slightly embarrassed at an outing when I realised they weren’t familiar with popular cartoon characters. But on second thought, I felt absolutely no regret.
Another decision I made was not to buy educational tablets for them, at least not yet. Maybe later, when they are older and can better understand.
This was a hard choice, but I knew that once I got them tablets, it would be easy to hand them over just to get some “me time.” In their absence, however, we’ve had more human interaction, bonding, noise, laughter and I absolutely love it. Lol
After the incident with my five-year-old singing that song, I sat her down and explained that not everything I watch is meant for children, and if she isn’t invited to watch, she shouldn’t insist. I also started using a headset whenever I browse the internet, and that has helped a lot.
What I’ve noticed is that keeping them away from screens has made them more curious and creative. I work with them using building blocks, Lego, play cards, and other learning materials, some bought, others homemade.
From this, my first daughter has developed an interest in making hair do for her dolls, and I’m truly glad to see how they’re growing and expressing themselves. Also i caution them on inappropriate word when they pick them from school and try to use them at home, i make them understand those words are bad language and when in school they should nicely correct their friends who use them not to again.
These are just majorly some of the things I do to create a safe space for my children at hone, and it has truly made a positive difference.
Thank you for stopping by my blog.
Stay blessed. Cheers