Concerned Granny to the Rescue!

Greetings on this drizzly Monday morning!  Your Guide is such a creature of habit that my weekend had a weekend "feel" to it that my M-F did not.  I confess, I binge-watched "Serengeti" on The Discovery Channel, but I almost couldn't take it!  Life is rough on the Serengeti!  I became very attached to a baboon, a zebra foal, a lioness, a hyena, an African wild dog and an elephant.  Watching their trials and tribulations tore at my heart!  I also turned my living room into an exercise studio and did a hip hop workout I found on YouTube.  Moving the furniture was my warm up and cool down!
But today, it's back to work, here in my office, looking out on the garden and greenhouse, where my cat lives, and beyond that, the cattle ranch and Christmas tree farm which our property abuts.  Let's see if we received any mail over the weekend.  Here we are!

Dearest Guide,

We are blessed to be three generations sheltering together during the coronavirus crisis.  It is lovely to spend so much time with everyone, but I have one concern.  My granddaughters, who are very young, spend a lot of time on their parents' electronic tablets and when they are not playing games or watching videos on them, they are campaigning to do so.  It isn't very pretty to hear how they whine and how desperate they seem to be for these devices.  I find it very disturbing.  Beyond their behavior around the screentime, isn't it bad for their brain development?

                                                    Signed,   Good-hearted Grandma

Gentle Grandparent,

It is so difficult to sit aside and watch your children raise their own children sometimes, is it not?  I am a grandparent myself and can truly relate. Your influence, however, is already felt by your granddaughters in the decency and integrity you model for them, the results of the rearing of  your own children and who knows, perhaps even a genetic component?  I'm sure you will have a lasting and positive influence on the formation of their personalities.

 Yours is a timely missive as I'm sure many of the families of the children I live with in the Children's House at Philomath Montessori School are also struggling with the issue of screentime as they spend so many hours at home.  First of all, I am familiar with the dynamic you are describing.  It seems that screens can be very addictive and that quality can certainly bring about the ugly side of any of us.

Please allow me to refer you to two previous posts on our blog.  If you could induce the parents of your granddaughters to read them, it might offer them food for thought.  After some time, thought and observation on their side, they may re-consider their children's overuse of their devices.  Please go to the archives and read "Tiny Little Addicts" from October 24, 2013 and "Movie Time" from May 10, 2011.  If these contain compelling information you wish to share, please do so. I think they explain some of the brain science that addresses your concerns very well.  I hope your granddaughters end up with more blocks and walks and less scrolling and clicking during their time at home with you and throughout their childhoods. Thank you very much for writing.  In solidarity and appreciation, I remain,

Your Guide,
Doni

PS: I am concerned  about the many children who are truly "stuck" at home with families who are incapable of caring properly for them: children for whom school was an escape to safety, security and sustenance.  I called Family Tree Relief Nursery in Albany today to see how I could help.  They are closed per the governor's order, but are still providing support to families.  They are checking in with families via phone calls, using FaceTime with the children and have sent home activity packets and playdo.  When I called they were putting together food boxes for their families in need. I made a donation over the phone and they were so touched! Thank goodness this agency is there.