@macieabernathy: I couldn’t fit all of this into the voiceover, so here’s the full story and everything on my heart ↓ We finally made the decision to take away my seven year old daughter’s iPad… for good. It wasn’t random but it felt random because it was something I’ve been feeling convicted about for a long time and just kept pushing aside. Honestly, I don’t even know how the iPad became hers in the first place. It started as mine. She used it for long car rides, then it turned into little educational games… then Toca Boca… and eventually Roblox. And then before I knew it, she was also using it to listen to music outside, and it just slowly turned into “her” iPad by default. But here’s the thing, it’s not her that I don’t trust. She is incredibly smart, sweet, trustworthy, and the kind of kid who genuinely doesn’t want to do anything wrong. I fully trust her intentions. But what I don’t trust is the world… the internet… the people on the other side of the screen. As kids get older, they naturally get curious. Even the really good ones. And something about her having a device with full access, in her room, at all times, just started to feel off in my gut. Not right NOW but for the future. We already had parental controls on everything. I approve every game. I know exactly what she plays. We even play Roblox together as a family sometimes. So it wasn’t coming from a place of chaos or something going wrong. It was just this quiet internal nudge that kept getting louder as she gets older. I’ve never been anti-screen. My kids watch movies. They play games. I truly don’t think screen time is the enemy, I think the way it’s used and the access to things they’re not ready for is where it becomes a problem. Parenting in a tech focused world is honestly overwhelming sometimes. So after slowly reducing her iPad time more and more, we finally just sat her down and explained everything. I’m so thankful we’ve always had a very open relationship, because she really did understand. She was a little sad, but she trusted me and it wasn’t a fight. I immediately felt peace. Like I finally followed through on something I’ve known deep down needed to happen. Now I’m on the hunt for healthier replacements, something for her games (probably a Nintendo Switch for Christmas) and something for music, because that’s the biggest thing she used her iPad for. I’m looking into a Yoto Player with music cards so she still has freedom without the open access of a tablet. Every family is different, and every kid is different… but this is where we landed. This is what felt right for our home. I feel really, really good about it. 🤎 #parenting #realisticmomlife #screentime #motherhoodunfiltered #momtok

macie ☻

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Saturday 29 November 2025 20:32:56 GMT