Let me tell you, my 4-year-old daughter Tara is obsessed with television, especially those bizarre YouTube channels where adults with creepy hands unbox and play with toys. To me, it feels like a never-ending commercial for overpriced plastic junk. But it seems there’s some science behind her fixation. Every day, she’d plead with me to turn on those shows, plus a never-ending list of Netflix kids’ content. While I usually didn’t let her sit in front of the screen all day, I had pretty lenient screen time rules. I’ll admit it: I often used the TV as a babysitter to get things done without her and her 2-year-old brother Liam underfoot.
Then, about a month ago, I made a classic parenting blunder. In a moment of frustration, I issued an extreme punishment: I took away TV for good. It was early evening, and I was prepping dinner while Tara was glued to her favorite YouTube channel, watching plastic princesses lounging by a pool with their Play-Doh accessories. I told her, “Five more minutes, and then the TV goes off.” She nodded in agreement—until those five minutes were up. When I hit the Off button on the remote, she completely lost it. And when my 4-year-old throws a tantrum during dinner, it’s pretty likely that I’m about to lose my cool, too.
“That’s it. No more TV. Ever,” I declared. Her eyes went wide, and tears started to flow. “When can I get it back? Tomorrow?” she asked. I replied, “Nope. It’s gone. Forever.” Oh boy. The worst part? I was so convincing she believed me. For a few days, she asked half-heartedly if she could watch something on Netflix, but soon she realized I wasn’t budging (I can be stubborn, and I convinced myself this was a battle I could win).
The Reality of a Screen-Free Life
Now, fast forward a month. My kids haven’t watched a single kids’ show or YouTube video at home, and I’m honestly surprised to say I have no plans to change that anytime soon. But don’t get me wrong—going screen-free hasn’t magically turned my house into a peaceful paradise. The past four weeks have been long and incredibly noisy. Some days, I’ve survived the chaos purely by sheer willpower (and maybe a glass of wine or two). The TV has a volume control and a pause button; my kids do not.
With no screen to entertain them, the bickering has hit an impressive level of annoyance. They now have all day to argue about who gets to close the front door, who gets the first frozen waffle, and who gets to play with that one old toy no one’s touched in ages. The hair-pulling, shoving, and screaming have tested my patience like never before. Seriously, managing a 2- and 4-year-old’s non-stop squabbles could qualify as psychological torture.
And the mess! Kids’ stuff multiplies overnight, but without TV to break it up? My house is a disaster zone. There are scraps from craft projects, dress-up clothes, and cardboard boxes turned into castles, all scattered across the living room. Plus, with the loss of my digital babysitter, I have to be “on” for longer periods each day. It’s exhausting!
Finding the Silver Lining
So why am I sticking to this no-TV rule, even with the louder chaos? Because despite the noise and mess, I’m witnessing some real benefits from this screen-free life, and I’m loving it. First off, we’re reading more—like a lot more. We used to read two or three books at bedtime, but now we’re diving into reading throughout the day. My little guy, who never cared much for books, is now constantly asking us to read to him. We even made regular trips to the library a part of our weekly routine, and we’re flying through 20 books a week. Many of them, we’re reading multiple times!
Also, the kids’ creativity and imaginative play have exploded. Yes, it’s messy and loud, but it’s also adorable watching their little minds work. The kids are playing outside, building pirate ships and princess castles on the swing set, and coming back in dirty and exhausted. Long bubble baths have become a nightly ritual, and they’re actually going to bed easier and staying asleep longer.
Selfishly, even though I’m completely wiped out at the end of the day, I feel relieved from the mom guilt that came with letting them binge-watch TV too long. I know there’s nothing inherently wrong with screen time, but I often felt guilty about it. Completely cutting out that source of guilt, even if temporarily, has felt liberating.
“Forever” won’t truly mean forever, and I know kids’ TV will eventually return to our lives. But for now, the screen-free life is working for us. And who knows? Maybe my daughter will completely forget about those creepy YouTube toy videos. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
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