Day 11: Uncluttered Kids

I am no parenting expert. Anyone who knows me is already laughing because it is so obvious that is true. I have called Cheetos a vegetable (they are made from corn...), stared at my phone without noticing the toddler is putting pebbles in his ear, and let my kids wear whatever they want out of the house, including galoshes on 110-degree days.

Daryl and I aren’t perfect parents by far, but even we have seen the ill effects clutter can have on kids. Not just physical clutter—massive piles of plastic junk—but schedule clutter and digital clutter and soul clutter, too. The effects of such mess is bad enough on adults; on our kids it is magnified. 

Kids are kids—they lack advanced decision-making skills, processing abilities, and the capacity to handle highly complex tasks. But kids’ brains begin learning and forming habits early. If their environments and schedules are cluttered; if they are given hours of screen time and no Sabbath; if they are trained to hoard and cling; these patterns can create unhealthy habits that will affect the rest of their lives.

Reflection/Discussion Questions  

1. How have you seen the effects of clutter (physical, schedule, and digital) on children? Read Matthew 19:13–15. In what ways might clutter hinder children from communing with Jesus?
2. The family, properly ordered, puts God first. Every other decision about our children flows from this singular priority. In what ways does our society encourage us to put our children first, rather than God? How does putting God first, and teaching our children to do the same, actually benefit them more than putting them first?
3. What cartoons, mythical figures, or pop icons get the most airtime in your home? How much airtime does Jesus get? What changes might you make to shift this balance?
4. Instead of letting kids have too much screen time, what if we taught them to do creative activities? How does creating help connect us to God as Creator? What is one thing you normally consume that you might enjoy creating as a family? How can you plan a creative endeavor—baking, gardening, playing music, making art, etc.—to undertake as a family this week?
5. How much screen time do your kids typically get? How do you feel about that amount of time? Would you ever consider saving screens for special occasions, as Courtney and her husband do for their children? Why or why not? What courageous steps might you take as a family to permanently reduce screen time?
6. What area of your family’s life is most cluttered?