20/06/2025
We were recently asked how we handle screen time with Tala, now 4 years old. It made us pause and really reflect.
At her age, her only screen time is the television—30 minutes to an hour at most each day. Sometimes it’s even just FaceTiming with my parents back home in the Philippines. No gadgets. No tablets. No games. Just real-life play, books, mud, trees, and long chats with Lola and Lolo.
We’re not perfect parents, far from it. There are days we get tired and forget our own rules. But we’re trying our best to raise a present child, one who lives more in the now than in a glowing screen. We take her outdoors, to libraries, parks, and even on camping trips to give her experiences she can touch, smell, and remember.
But here’s the eye-opener:
While we limit her screen time, we’re realizing ours needs work. Because kids learn less from what we say, and more from what they see.
And one day, we don’t want her asking,
“Why are you always on your phone, and I can’t be?”
So this is a reminder—not just for us, but maybe for other parents too:
It’s not just about limiting our kids’ screen time.
It’s about modeling presence, attention, and balance.
Not perfectly. But intentionally.
