Parenting Under PressureSýnishorn

The iPacifiers

In today’s fast-paced world, parents must juggle more than ever before. Most of us have so much on our plates that we are rarely able to spend as much time with our children as we would like.

While the pressures of life keep us busy, our kids swipe away at games and watch Netflix videos. If we are honest, our kids' phones probably have more face time with them than we do.

Children are spending more and more time in the digital world and less time with actual people. While there can be some limited educational benefits, these modern-day pacifiers are slowly hurting them. Recent studies have found a correlation between hours spent with a smartphone and delays in speech development.

The problems are not limited to infants. Older children are exposed to fewer and fewer opportunities to develop their ability to read facial cues and vocal inflections. They may one day have hundreds of online friends, yet struggle with intimacy and face-to-face interactions.

In Genesis 2:18, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” To solve this problem, He created Eve and performed the first wedding. God designed people to be in face-to-face relationships. While our kids are still at home, the responsibility falls on us.

One way to have more face time with your kids is to simply tuck them in at night, even if you have teenagers. Take time to linger and allow conversations to flow naturally, without any specific agenda. The routine will create a safe environment that your child will be able to count on. When something important needs to be said, they will be more likely to say it.

It can be tempting to view the time as wasted when there is still work to be done before you get to sleep yourself, but it’s worth it. Kids grow fast. Take the time now, while you still can.

Pray that God helps you reprioritize your time so that you can replace some of your child’s screen time with face time. Your face.

For help making family time despite a hectic schedule read, “10 Ideas: Creating Quality Time With Your Kids” on FamilyLife.com.