Oh my goodness, I loved this post so much! If you don’t mind, I think I may do one of my own. I really loved your honesty and reasoning behind everything. I also think it’s important to hear these kinds of things and normalize parents doing what works for their families, not just what we’re “supposed “ to do
Love this! Your post screams “attunement” to your kids, knowing what works, what helps regulate. My daughter gets a fair amount of screen time although we do always read a bedtime story but the point is I know what she needs and what works for our family and that isn’t talked about nearly enough!
You sound like a thoughtful, chill, and self-aware mother. And, we loooovvvvedd Max & Ruby when my kids were wee. That show and Arthur (and Junie B. Jones). 👶
We tend to go for watching a show together instead of reading before bed, too. I figure if we spent time during the day reading, then we just get extra snuggles and a different type of quality time before bed!
We really liked Max and Ruby when my oldest was 3- it’s been 5 years now and I hadn’t thought about it in a while, my 6 year old never got into it. Bedtime reading is a very ingrained part of my kids’ routine to the point I will push bedtime later so we can read on some days but the amount we read from day to day greatly varies. With my youngest at the end of the school year we were sometimes only reading his short early reader book that took 3 minutes. My 8 yo seems to need to read part of a book at bedtime to feel regulated enough to sleep. I also make sure to prioritize their tv time too because it’s another important part of their routine to them.
Love your honesty, especially about not reading everyday. I LOVE books and I do feel guilty on days when I/we don’t fit it in with the kids. But we sure talk about them a lot!
Also, super huge fan of Carl the Collector, did not know it was by an illustrator!
Screens can be decent. Screens helped me learn English (even though it wasn't EXACTLY enough to start kindergarten) since we were a Cantonese-only household before I started school. However, from HEARING it on TV, I learned quickly! Yes, Oscar, Big Bird, Ernie and Bert helped me with my English learning. So did Mr. Rogers, Mr. Dressup and Polka Dot Door. Other shows like Today's Special (which I watched with my mom), creeped me out (because, well, a mannequin coming to life? (puppet) Department store mice? A (puppet) security guard who talks to a computer, asking her questions (this wouldn't be (too) weird at all in 2025, but this was the early 80s....okay, it would STILL be weird today...I'd think that you had issues if your BFF was THE Alexa or Siri)? Canadian kids' shows were often WEIRD.
So much of this resonates for me! As a solo, ADHD mama with a little home-ed wildling boy, I can't help but check out a bunch of library books, leave journals half-finished, and lean into screentime sometimes. Life is about balance anyway, and teaching our little ones self-compassion, patience and how to give themselves a break every now and then is so important.
I love this! That you’re being real and honest with how you are parenting. And that you’re happy to be doing what works for you and your family.
My kids are 17, 16 and 14 now and the screen time/device dilemma was all consuming when they were little. The reality is that these devices exist and need to be a part of their lives so that they know how to use them to their advantage. Don’t get me wrong, I would love if my reality was to live in the mountains on a lake where no Wi-Fi or cellular signal was possible! 😂
Oh my goodness, I loved this post so much! If you don’t mind, I think I may do one of my own. I really loved your honesty and reasoning behind everything. I also think it’s important to hear these kinds of things and normalize parents doing what works for their families, not just what we’re “supposed “ to do
Love this! Your post screams “attunement” to your kids, knowing what works, what helps regulate. My daughter gets a fair amount of screen time although we do always read a bedtime story but the point is I know what she needs and what works for our family and that isn’t talked about nearly enough!
You sound like a thoughtful, chill, and self-aware mother. And, we loooovvvvedd Max & Ruby when my kids were wee. That show and Arthur (and Junie B. Jones). 👶
We tend to go for watching a show together instead of reading before bed, too. I figure if we spent time during the day reading, then we just get extra snuggles and a different type of quality time before bed!
We really liked Max and Ruby when my oldest was 3- it’s been 5 years now and I hadn’t thought about it in a while, my 6 year old never got into it. Bedtime reading is a very ingrained part of my kids’ routine to the point I will push bedtime later so we can read on some days but the amount we read from day to day greatly varies. With my youngest at the end of the school year we were sometimes only reading his short early reader book that took 3 minutes. My 8 yo seems to need to read part of a book at bedtime to feel regulated enough to sleep. I also make sure to prioritize their tv time too because it’s another important part of their routine to them.
Love your honesty, especially about not reading everyday. I LOVE books and I do feel guilty on days when I/we don’t fit it in with the kids. But we sure talk about them a lot!
Also, super huge fan of Carl the Collector, did not know it was by an illustrator!
We love family movie nights!
Screens can be decent. Screens helped me learn English (even though it wasn't EXACTLY enough to start kindergarten) since we were a Cantonese-only household before I started school. However, from HEARING it on TV, I learned quickly! Yes, Oscar, Big Bird, Ernie and Bert helped me with my English learning. So did Mr. Rogers, Mr. Dressup and Polka Dot Door. Other shows like Today's Special (which I watched with my mom), creeped me out (because, well, a mannequin coming to life? (puppet) Department store mice? A (puppet) security guard who talks to a computer, asking her questions (this wouldn't be (too) weird at all in 2025, but this was the early 80s....okay, it would STILL be weird today...I'd think that you had issues if your BFF was THE Alexa or Siri)? Canadian kids' shows were often WEIRD.
I didn’t know you were on here. I’m kind of new on here. Steven from Jubilant-Reader.com We did some things together on Instagram several years ago.
I LOVE THIS. I do/dont do all these things too!!!! Do you work from home?
Yes!
So much of this resonates for me! As a solo, ADHD mama with a little home-ed wildling boy, I can't help but check out a bunch of library books, leave journals half-finished, and lean into screentime sometimes. Life is about balance anyway, and teaching our little ones self-compassion, patience and how to give themselves a break every now and then is so important.
I love this! That you’re being real and honest with how you are parenting. And that you’re happy to be doing what works for you and your family.
My kids are 17, 16 and 14 now and the screen time/device dilemma was all consuming when they were little. The reality is that these devices exist and need to be a part of their lives so that they know how to use them to their advantage. Don’t get me wrong, I would love if my reality was to live in the mountains on a lake where no Wi-Fi or cellular signal was possible! 😂
So important to find the things that meet the needs of your family! And I see many things here that happen in my house, too.
Same! No bedtime reading over here. I’ve found it winds her up too much so hard pass.
I relate to so much of this. We find our ways of connecting and working and the balance we try to maintain...it's tough sometimes.