The worry du jour is screen time. Before that it was too much sugar. Before that it was too much TV. Before that it was too much sex. Before that it was too muc

The worry du jour is screen time. Before that it was too much sugar. Before that it was too much TV. Before that it was too much sex. Before that it was too much counterculture. Before that it was too much pop culture. The list goes on and on and on and on and on. The product being sold to parents is fear. And boy, oh boy do they have the antidote to sell you! Having raised 3 kids it's mostly pretty easy: - Make sure they're eating real food. They can have some junk food so long as they're actually filling up on real food. - Ditto with water. Make sure they're drinking water. Limit (but don't eliminate) access to soda and apple juice. - Make sure they're moving around and playing, preferably outdoors as much as possible. - Make sure they're playing with other kids. - Don't hover while your kids are playing. (Actually, try not to be a helicopter parent.) - Let your kids handle their own disagreements. - Teach your kids not to tattle. In our house it was the one tattling who got in trouble. Of course there are exceptions: blood, fire, property damage. Everything else will largely work itself out. Just remember, your kids will mimic you - they will do what you do, not what you say. If you think they're consuming too much screen time, then take a look at your screen time. You want them to read more? Well, how much do you read? They're watching way more than they're listening and they have a keen sense for hipocracy. So, congratulations and good luck!