As parents, we set an example for our children in all areas of our lives! In the new digital age we are currently living in, it is important to consider the practical phone boundaries for parents to set for themselves.
When parents have a healthy relationship with their cell phone or smartphone, it shows their children how to treat the device so it doesn’t have negative effects.
We all know that phones can become addictive and discouraging, especially when social media and gaming are used frequently. As our children grow up, how will they see you use your phones? Do you have boundaries set in place for your phone usage?
Think about these questions: Would you want your children to use their technology just like you? Where you use it? How you use it? What you use it for?
As a parent myself, my husband and I have chosen to implement these practical phone boundaries so that we can set a positive example for our children. When they grow up and get a cell phone or smartphone of their own, I want to know that they understand how to use the device wisely.
Let’s check out the phone boundaries for parents here…
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No Phones At Mealtimes
One of the first things you can do to set healthy phone boundaries for parents is to put your phones away at mealtimes. Prioritize making mealtimes a time to connect with one another.
Mealtimes have always been characterized by a time of social interaction, but as soon as smartphones and other devices entered the scene, they quickly made mealtimes silent. Instead of talking with one another, everyone would scroll on their devices instead. And we’ve all seen this is common when we go out to eat at restaurants.
Make it a boundary and a habit to never have devices at the table or countertop when you are eating and instead, ask deep meaningful questions to those around you.
Related Post: 4 Reasons To Perform A Christian Social Media Detox
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No Phones In Bedrooms
The Toxic Trio is when we experience pitfalls in our technology usage around boredom, darkness, and bedrooms. This could include mindless scrolling or looking at pornography. Even if those seem innocent to you, they are not good for our minds and they do not set a good example for our children!
Keeping our phones and devices out of our bedroom is one of the phone boundaries for parents that we have implemented since day one of our marriage. I’m so glad we had advice from others to do this!
Not only does it keep our marriage relationship strong but it also helps us limit our EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure, which can also have negative consequences.
Set up a nighttime charging zone somewhere in your house where every single device gets put when it is not in use, including at night! For us, it’s a docking station on your kitchen counter.
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No Phones Before Scripture Reading
Airplane mode is a wonderful feature on our phones that we don’t use often enough! If you keep your phone on airplane mode throughout the night, you can delay looking at your phone longer in the morning.
One priority in my life is to read my Bible every morning first thing to help me start my day grounded. I noticed that when I made a boundary for myself to not look at my phone until after my Scripture reading and morning quiet time was done, I was much more peaceful.
I didn’t wake up to immediate stress from the news or even text messages from others. Instead, I woke up to a peaceful and calm start to my day. It also gave me the right perspective when I finally picked up my phone!
Related Post: 11 Things I No Longer Do As A Mom Since Taking My Job As A Homemaker Seriously
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No Phones During Conversations
One of the phone boundaries for parents is that everyone, especially parents, should have is to silence all notifications. By having your notifications off you are in control of when your phone is in use and not the other way around!
Constantly being distracted by notifications throughout the day causes you to be on your phone more than you should be and wastes time that could be spent in positive ways, like conversations with your children.
In fact, distracted parents on their phones are being linked to being similar to secondhand smoke. It limits children’s interaction with their parents and could lead to dangerous situations.
Do your children a favor and interact with them by putting your phone down and opening the door to more conversations!
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No Phones During Hospitality Moments
Hospitality moments include times were we are hosting or interacting with people. Examples might be going out to dinner, having friends over, driving in the car, and or just hanging out in the living room together.
During these moments we want to be intentional with being present with those around us. Putting our phones down and investing in relationships is a healthy and great example to set for your children! Plus it will also make your children feel loved, seen, and cared about.
This is one of the phone boundaries for parents you can start implementing today!
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No Phones Off Of Wifi (At Home)
We are going to be setting up a new Wi-Fi router in our home called Gryphon. It has parental controls and blocks any bad images or content from even entering our home through Wi-Fi.
Because of this we also have a boundary to keep our phones on Wi-Fi at home and not use data. This ensures that we stay safe from explicit content. But, it also keeps our children safe if they were to happen to access the internet with our supervision or permission.
Consider setting up several different levels of parental controls in your home for safe internet and phone protection. You can start with the router level, then the laptop and phone level with programs like Covenant Eyes and Bark.
Which of these phone boundaries for parents will you start implementing today? Let me know in the comments below!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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