Kudos to the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens for giving families cell phone sleeping bags and free admission this weekend! It can be hard for families to find time to unplug, explore, and make fun memories…but these little green bags are a simple way the City of Overland Park is encouraging the next generation of kids to get curious about the world…and their contributions to it. Thanks, OP, for helping families remember that screens are small, but life is big!

What exactly does it mean to be a START family? We’re glad you asked! Here are our top five rules of thumb for digital parenting. We hope these pillars are a helpful tool as you navigate your family’s tech life.

As a single mom, my relationship with my daughter is my top priority in a long list of to-dos everyday.   I would do anything for her well-being, and I try to be intentional about giving her my best each day but like most parents, I make mistakes along this journey…

Neurotherapist Susan Dunaway shares that over and over, parents come to her with the same plea for help: “Our kids are great kids, but it seems all their worst behaviors come out when we tell them it’s time to get off their screens. What do we do?” Check out her suggestions for helping your child stay in control when it’s time to hop off the screen time merry-go-round!

As my husband and I were prepping and packing for our first vacation sans kids, the first time we were going to be away from our kids in a meaningful way, we realized that we were both at capacity with work, and tapped out emotionally with the day in and day out stress of running a two-career household with busy kids. So, before the trip, we made a pact to put the phones away…

As screens—movies, TV, video games—present a world far more colorful and energetic than the created world itself, they not only ratchet up our expectations for what is significant and entertaining; they also undermine our ability to enjoy what we could call the abundance of the ordinary.  Andy Crouch, author of The Tech-Wise Family, shares more.

At START, we love helping families find time to unplug and connect…and we are champions of schools that strategically find ways to help students connect with each other. This year, a local school district made a bold move and implemented an “away during the day” policy…and we loved hearing one principal’s report of how it is going. Kudos!

We loved this article from the New York Times about a fun new word you can try out with your kids: JOMO. Share with them that it isn’t always easy to step away from your screen, but it’s part of being digitally healthy…and the rewards of being present with loved ones usually outweigh the quick fix we find scrolling other people’s social media feeds…

A recent study of romantic relationships among college students found that “smartphone dependency is significantly linked to relationship uncertainty.” This Valentine’s week, join Brenda Walden, Marriage + Family Therapist, to learn more about “phubbing”…and ways it might be impacting your romantic relationship.

It’s the story of a young dad chasing big dreams who gets…wait for it…distracted…by a glittery, sparkly, unattainable opera singer named Jenny Lind. He gives his full attention to a person he has barely even met, ignoring the people who love him deeply. And yet, at the end of the day, he realizes that this was not time well spent…and returns home to rediscover the greatest show: being present with his family and friends.