Screen content is usually the domain of our Round 2 mini-podcasts on entertainment topics, but for this week's group chat we wanted to revisit the question of screen time for kids in the context of a recent announcement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP is in the process of updating its policy guidelines on screen time for kids (which both Catherine and Amanda have written about), changing it from a hard line of no screens at all for kids under 2 and two hours a day max after that to a wavier line that seems to accept the fact that parents just do not want to go there. We chatted about whether there should be a guideline and how it should be determined, whether your personal pediatrician really cares one way or another, whether anybody in Canada is making these kinds of rules, and how many moms must have beat the AAP about the heads with iPads to inspire this change.
Jumping from the world of pixels to printed paper, Amanda had us wondering whether there are any book characters we wish we could be, and why. Listen to find out who wants to move into that little house on the prairie, who longs to be snoopy little Encyclopedia Brown, who wants to leave her kids home to frolic with the Cat in the Hat, and who thinks the cool mom of Henry and Mudge is about her speed. What book would you like to move into? Share in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Finally, we shared our recommendations for the week. Catherine mentioned being interviewed for the National Alliance for Youth Sports website; Amanda touted 4 Surprising Benefits of Video Games (and Terri mentioned some surprising benefits of TV watching to go with it); Nicole liked an article about managing your child's screen time; and Terri invited you to Scream Into the Void.
Thanks as always to Jon Morin for producing our podcast and Kristin Eredics for our happy in-and-out music. If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.