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If you are like 150 million others in the US right now, you are facing cold weather, ice and snowy conditions. As if we already didn’t have cabin fever enough, now we can’t even enjoy a walk around the block. School has been closed all week. The kids have been sledding outside, but they don’t last long until they come in with rosy cheeks and freezing cold little hands. Then the pileup of the boots, snow pants, hats, gloves, pants, even underwear (yes, really) and what’s a mom to do?
Because of COVID-19, play dates are out of the question. We are on our own left to our own devices. We can only have so many cookie baking days, movie days, puzzle days, drawing days before they get bored, and, quite honestly, so does Mom.
We have cleaned out the play room, reintroduced toys that the boys haven’t seen in months. Organized the Legos, the Hot Wheels, the dinosaurs, the animals, the books. That allowed us some entertainment for several weeks. After Christmas, we really needed to reorganize our play room. It was a hot mess and I still want to put more storage in there to look a little more aesthetically pleasing. But for now, we did the best we could with what we’ve got. And I’m not about to go to the store and pick out shelves and book cases, because snow storm and COVID, remember?
So what’s a mom to do?
We give our boys screen time. Yes, we allow screen time in this house. And I am damn proud of it.
The boys focus so well on videos like Blippi, Dave and Ava, ABC Mouse, and other educational apps and shows. We do NOT let them watch that punk kid Ryan who opens every box of toys known to man. We don’t let them watch trash. But my 5 year old knows more things about planes, trains and automobiles than your average kid. He knows more about animals and what they eat, where they live and how they play. They know their colors, their shapes, numbers, words, pretty much they are gosh dang geniuses, okay? And I thank Blippi for a lot of that.
Aside from just watching educational videos on YouTube Kids or Amazon Prime Video, they also play games. My 8 year old has been OBSESSED with Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite. Our friends who live far away also have children obsessed with these games. And our kids have found a way to connect and play and talk with each other via Facetime and the actual app. They join in on the same game and they talk like actual people. Even though they are hundreds of miles away, it’s like they are having their own virtual play date. And I am all for it.
My parents gifted our boys a Nintendo Switch and this has been a LIFESAVER.
Not only can they now play Mario Kart and Fortnite on the Switch, but since my parents ALSO got one, they can play each other and interact on Facetime as well. We have been missing my parents so very much during this pandemic. My mom normally would take the boys a couple days a week and they would have so much time with the boys. I’m sure a lot of you are in the same position, where you can’t see family and friends because of health issues and quarantine.
But screen time is something that has really helped our family. And I know every family is different. Some don’t allow screen time at all, which I totally respect your decision for your family. But my family NEEDS the screen time. My boys need to interact with the outside world. Since Joey is doing online school all year, he does not get that face to face interaction with his teachers and peers. That was a sacrifice we chose to make for our family. So in order for him to not become a hermit and lose all social milestones thus far, we have incorporated screen time into our daily lives.
Our 5 year old is missing out on a year of preschool this year. He starts kindergarten in the fall. By withdrawing him from preschool, we knew that we had some hurdles to overcome as far as his cognitive growth and socialization with other kids his age. But seeing him interact with his cousins and relatives on Facetime and playing his Mimi on Mario Kart, I think he is one step closer to being on track with the rest of the future kindergarteners. At least I would like to believe so.
So I guess the point of my rambling is that when faced with a pandemic AND an ice/snow storm, it’s okay with this mama to let your kids have a little more screen time than usual. Class is NOT in session. There is not work to be done. They are kids and deserve to have FUN, it’s not their fault they are quarantined or iced in from the frigid temps outside. So let them play on the iPad a little longer. Let them watch one more Blippi episode before bed. Let their imaginations run while looking at how other people build Hot Wheels tracks and see what your 5 year old then comes up with (you will be amazed, let me tell you).
And if you are in search of a device, the Kindle is a great place to start. And from now until the 20th of February, they are ON MAJOR SALE at 40% off.
The Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet has a 7″ Display, 16GB and comes with three color options for the case. The Kindle gives your kiddos access to the content they love, with over 20,000 kid-approved apps, games, books and videos available through Amazon Kids+ (membership only). While they explore, you can help them build healthy digital habits through parental controls that let you set screentime limits and educational goals, along with filtering for age-appropriate content. Plus, each tablet comes with a kid-proof case and two-year worry-free guarantee. The only thing you might stress over is which color to pick!
Cheers,
Jackie
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