Parenting in the days of quarantine is a juggle of childcare, conference calls, household chores, and emotional roller coasters. Screens are providing a beautiful lifeline, but how to we best manage them without letting them consume us? Let’s make a plan!

The days will be long and emotionally challenging, but if you can, we encourage you to look for some unexpected positives. In quarantines throughout history, Shakespeare wrote King Lear and Isaac Newton developed calculus and discovered gravity. We encourage you to make this season “time well spent” by guiding your kids towards meaningful activities—both online and offline. 

We’re not gonna lie: during the summertime chaos, a little screentime can be such a gift—helping everyone in the family to mentally reset. But we were recently reminded by Lin-Manuel Miranda of another good old fashioned trick that might be worth sprinkling into the summer chaos—time alone.

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…

We all know that our devices need to charge – and so do we! It’s no secret that we all need a good night’s sleep to live happy, healthy lives. Yet, did you know that 80% of teens use their phones when they are supposed to be sleeping – including many who stay up most of the night or wake for every notification? The device is probably in their room for a very practical reason, like listening to music or being the alarm clock, but as the New York Times  explains, it often leads to “vamping” – staying up much of the night on technology, be it texting with friends or watching an endless loop of cat videos.