Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and (grudging) acceptance.
They’re the five stages of grief. And if you’re the parent of a tween or teen, they’re also the five stages that come after you take away their phone.
It’s a rare parent who hasn’t done a nightly device round up. ‘Hand over your phone,’ we tell our kids, who are often less than pleased with the request.
Mum confiscates phones, kids crumble
Mum-of-four Michelle Giggler thought she had the teen mobile phone situation sorted with her blanket nightly round up of her kids’ devices.
“I teach high school, and I see the sleep-deprived faces all day of pupils who, admittedly, were up all night on their phones,” Michelle explains on Twitter. Removing her own kids’ devices when the sun sets seemed the best way to get her kids to disconnect.
So far, so good. What Michelle didn’t count on is just how crafty a pod of screen deprived children can be.
All that effort and team work, it (almost) warms your heart.
I collect all cell phones and iPads from the kids at night and keep them in my room.
Last night those little ***holes all set alarms to go off at various times throughout the night.
I’m impressed with their ingenuity and team effort.
They’re all grounded.
— The OG Devil’s Agvocate™️ 🇺🇸 (aka Michelle) (@MGigger) March 13, 2018
Other parents react
Fellow Twitter users were quick to add their two cents (what’s new?). Some applauded Michelle’s efforts to minimise all night screen marathons, while others were quick to pull on their sanctimonious hats and question why such extreme measures needed to be taken (because teenagers is surely the only and best answer?).
Why waste money purchasing them if you can’t even trust their judgment with them without you supervising?
— How do you respond? (@_Quibus) March 15, 2018
Boundaries and loving discipline are, in fact, a positive sign of caring in the home. And my kids (9 & 11) are the very last children in our town without phones or tablets; just ask them 😝
Your classy responses to all the mansplaining is impressive. Good on you.
— Side-eye RN (@BariSurgeryRN) March 17, 2018
Its crazy how people are criticizing her for taking away her kids electronic at night but if she didn’t regulate their time online like other parents she would be ridiculed for letting the internet rise her kids
— Kenthicc (@Randomblacguy99) March 15, 2018
Sorry but I kind of think you deserved this one… personally I think giving kids devices just to take them away at night shows them that you don’t trust them only causing them to become more sneaky in the future… just a personal opinion tho 🤷🏾♀️
— CONDEINE FLOWER™️ (@txrxre) March 17, 2018
Thankfully, despite the concern from random internet strangers, all four kids survived their grounding and have lived to tell the tale.
The definition of grounding in every home is different. They lost some tech time to do chores. They lived and have moved on.
— The OG Devil’s Agvocate™️ 🇺🇸 (aka Michelle) (@MGigger) March 20, 2018
We hear that devices will now be turned OFF at night. Probably for the best!
Wondering how to reduce your kids’ screen time? We’ve got 6 screen busting strategies to try.
