Show Notes
In this episode, I sit down with my friend Destini Ann, fellow mom, parenting educator, and author of the book Very Intentional Parenting...for the screen time conversation SO many of you have been begging for. Destini and I go way back (we met years ago in a little study group with Dr. Becky and a few other good souls), and we've been in each other's DMs ever since. Then she shared a resource that genuinely changed things in my house around screen time... and I was like...okay, we HAVE to make this happen. This one's for the parent white-knuckling the iPad handoff, the one really wishing computers and phones were non-existent in their child's world, and honestly anyone who's ever come in HOT about screens and then thought... wait, was that really necessary, or was that my anxiety? (No judgment. I've been there. Like, just-this-morning there.) We talk about: Quality vs. quantity — why your kid's screen struggle might look completely different from the kid down the street "Not yet" is a full sentence — the boundary I wish I'd had sooner How to pay attention WITHOUT micromanaging — scrolling alongside your kid instead of confiscate-and-investigate Why the moment is almost never the moment to address it — and what to do instead "This is not an emergency" — even when what you stumble on makes you go WHAT in the actual world Protection AND education — how to hold both without losing your mind The screen time flow chart Destini created — the actual resource that shifted things in my home (link below!) Why so much of parenting a teen is choosing the RIGHT kind of slightly uncomfortable "Are you open?" — the four-word script Destini swears is basically sorcery Cursing, dating, e-bikes, bike-ride sex talks, Awkward Fridays — all the real, slightly-mortifying conversations that build the kind of trust you'll be SO grateful for later
And yes... this connects so deeply to the heart of my book Mom Needs a Moment...taking a beat, resourcing yourself outside the moment so you can come back INTO the moment as the parent you actually want to be. You can find Destini Ann on Instagram (with all the ways to connect with her) @destini.ann and grab her screen time flow chart here! To learn more about my therapy practice or book a free consult, visit drcassidymft.com. You can learn more about my book Mom Needs a Moment here and get your pre-order gifts if you order before June 16 here!
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