The pandemic left many parents relying on tablets and television to keep their children busy while working from home or in lockdown.
Molly DeFrank is a mother of six and the author of Digital Detox: A Two-Week Tech Reset for Kids. She wanted more for her family, so she pulled the plug, declaring a digital detox for her kids. The transformation blew her away.
The detox was easier than she could have hoped, and the results were better than she could have dreamed. In just two weeks, her children were free from the grip of digital devices. Their moods shifted immediately, and their creativity exploded. They learned how to entertain themselves and enjoy life without screens.
"A lot of parents think that when they detox their children, they're going to have to suddenly entertain them all day," Molly explained. "What's happening is, you're removing this filter, so you're just seeing your kids, how they're wired, how they're gifted, and how you can come alongside them."
Although it may be challenging at first, Molly says parents can do this detox in a way that is sustainable to where the technology is in the right place. She says you don't have to banish it all forever.
"You're taking these two weeks to reacquaint your kids with real-life fun," said Molly.
Molly says the best thing to come out of the detox is the connection with parents and children, and with God.
"We're living in a time when all those in-between moments, walking by the road, laying down getting up, they're filled with passive media consumption," Molly explained. "During your detox and beyond, you're taking away that thing filling the time, every gap, every quiet moment that parents can cease to pour into their kids, to connect their kids. That's what's behind all of this. It's that relationship component. Just like God wants to connect with us and have a relationship with us, we're reflecting that to our kids and that's powerful."
Today on Connections, Molly shares how we can start doing this and relate it to our faith.