We’ve all handed our phones over to quiet down an antsy child in line. Sometimes the easiest answer is the right answer in the moment and a little Candy Crush never hurt anyone. The ends justify the means, no judgement here. We totally get it. While a little bit of screen time isn’t the end of the world, kids often fall in love with their parents’ mobile devices and it can spell (humorous) trouble. Here are five hilarious signs your kid might be using your phone just a little bit too much:
- You check your camera roll and find 32 pictures of your kid’s left big toe.
- You have to explain to your boss why your email response to his latest message involved so many poop and puke emojis.
- Your Instagram feed now includes 32 pictures of your kid’s left big toe.
- You have had to remove a Facebook status that said “I am a doodoo head” (at least it was spelled correctly!)
- You find a text you didn’t send asking your spouse to pick up ice cream. For breakfast.
If you can relate to any of these, you totally deserve that ice cream, and you might be raising a hilarious prankster. Either way, you should read Blinky and the Phone Fiasco by Tripler Pell, MD. Dr. Pell is a doctor, educator and awesome storyteller. She specializes in mental and environmental health and she loves taking current evidence and packaging it so people can understand (and enjoy!) it.
It’s super funny. The gist of the story is that a little boy spent so much time playing on his mommy’s phone that he turned into a phone! The only way he could get changed back was to spend time outside. Then he turned back into a boy again! Whew. What a relief! (We were nervous too!) It’s a magical, whimsical and beautifully illustrated adventure and it’s sure to get you talking.
You could start with “Nobody really needs that many pictures of their toes. Where are your socks?” or “Maybe let’s not answer mommy’s emails” or even “Ice cream isn’t a breakfast food.” But ideally, what it positions you to confidently discuss is how much screen time is too much, what are some other ways we can entertain ourselves, and what do we need to watch out for (other than errant poop emojis.)
The book is published by Indigo Press, is an exclusive edition with all new illustrations by Mike Byrne and is available exclusively in Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores and online at indigo.ca for $18.99. We think you will love it as much as we did – so grab yourself a copy and take some time to read a great book with the toe photographers/children in your life.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by our friends at Indigo, but all opinions are our own.
Alison Tedford is a Canadian freelance writer and mom. She documents her journeys in parenting, mental health and fitness on her blog Sparkly Shoes and Sweat Drops. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @alisontedford
