If you have screentime/device rules, do you relax when friends are over?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, this generation is going to be dumb and obese. OP, I applaud you for holding your ground until now. Too bad the other parents around you are crappy.

No one cares about your virtue signaling.

Yes. And make sure your kids use TikTok. What could possibly go wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

I love the basket concept! Reminds me of the take off your shoes when I was a kid. Will have to keep this one in mind.

Keep it in mind if your goal is for your teen boy to have no friends over. I’m fairly strict with screens in general but I’ll let it go when my sons have friend over. They all have a blast, cheering each other on and figuring out plans for the game together. Why not just let your kids have some fun and make your home the place their friends actually want to be? What’s the real benefit of denying them some hours of fun together? My friends and I all played Atari together and had a blast. I came down the other day and found my son and his friends playing monopoly. They’re great kids, why make this harder than it has to be?

+1. I wouldn’t come to the collect-my-cellphone house. And how’s that teaching independence and building trust? Moreover, as the parent, I don’t want the liability of holding someone else’s cell phone. No way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

I love the basket concept! Reminds me of the take off your shoes when I was a kid. Will have to keep this one in mind.

Keep it in mind if your goal is for your teen boy to have no friends over. I’m fairly strict with screens in general but I’ll let it go when my sons have friend over. They all have a blast, cheering each other on and figuring out plans for the game together. Why not just let your kids have some fun and make your home the place their friends actually want to be? What’s the real benefit of denying them some hours of fun together? My friends and I all played Atari together and had a blast. I came down the other day and found my son and his friends playing monopoly. They’re great kids, why make this harder than it has to be?

+1. I wouldn’t come to the collect-my-cellphone house. And how’s that teaching independence and building trust? Moreover, as the parent, I don’t want the liability of holding someone else’s cell phone. No way.

Liability of holding someone’s phone? Are you effing kidding me? You have someone else’s kids in your house, the house could burn down or they could fall down the stairs and crack their spine, but you are worried about liability of the phone!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

I love the basket concept! Reminds me of the take off your shoes when I was a kid. Will have to keep this one in mind.

Keep it in mind if your goal is for your teen boy to have no friends over. I’m fairly strict with screens in general but I’ll let it go when my sons have friend over. They all have a blast, cheering each other on and figuring out plans for the game together. Why not just let your kids have some fun and make your home the place their friends actually want to be? What’s the real benefit of denying them some hours of fun together? My friends and I all played Atari together and had a blast. I came down the other day and found my son and his friends playing monopoly. They’re great kids, why make this harder than it has to be?

+1. I wouldn’t come to the collect-my-cellphone house. And how’s that teaching independence and building trust? Moreover, as the parent, I don’t want the liability of holding someone else’s cell phone. No way.

Yeah my kid doesn’t give her phone to other people. Sorry lady. That’s her personal property. It’s her 2021 security blanket to text me if she needs too. I know you think you are so cool or whatever but you’re not. My child has autonomy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

I love the basket concept! Reminds me of the take off your shoes when I was a kid. Will have to keep this one in mind.

Keep it in mind if your goal is for your teen boy to have no friends over. I’m fairly strict with screens in general but I’ll let it go when my sons have friend over. They all have a blast, cheering each other on and figuring out plans for the game together. Why not just let your kids have some fun and make your home the place their friends actually want to be? What’s the real benefit of denying them some hours of fun together? My friends and I all played Atari together and had a blast. I came down the other day and found my son and his friends playing monopoly. They’re great kids, why make this harder than it has to be?

+1. I wouldn’t come to the collect-my-cellphone house. And how’s that teaching independence and building trust? Moreover, as the parent, I don’t want the liability of holding someone else’s cell phone. No way.

+1 I agree I would not feel comfortable going to my friend’s house where their mom confiscated my cell at the front door.


Yeah my kid doesn’t give her phone to other people. Sorry lady. That’s her personal property. It’s her 2021 security blanket to text me if she needs too. I know you think you are so cool or whatever but you’re not. My child has autonomy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

Don’t know how old your kid is but eventually you will notice that none of his/her friends come to your house anymore.

Bring that two have already graduated from hs I can assure you that you are wrong. It was never a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

I love the basket concept! Reminds me of the take off your shoes when I was a kid. Will have to keep this one in mind.

Keep it in mind if your goal is for your teen boy to have no friends over. I’m fairly strict with screens in general but I’ll let it go when my sons have friend over. They all have a blast, cheering each other on and figuring out plans for the game together. Why not just let your kids have some fun and make your home the place their friends actually want to be? What’s the real benefit of denying them some hours of fun together? My friends and I all played Atari together and had a blast. I came down the other day and found my son and his friends playing monopoly. They’re great kids, why make this harder than it has to be?

+1. I wouldn’t come to the collect-my-cellphone house. And how’s that teaching independence and building trust? Moreover, as the parent, I don’t want the liability of holding someone else’s cell phone. No way.

+1 I agree I would not feel comfortable going to my friend’s house where their mom confiscated my cell at the front door.


Yeah my kid doesn’t give her phone to other people. Sorry lady. That’s her personal property. It’s her 2021 security blanket to text me if she needs too. I know you think you are so cool or whatever but you’re not. My child has autonomy

If your kid needs to text you she can walk over to the basket, pull out her phone, and text you. It’s the same as my insisting shoes are taken off when they come in and stay near the front door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is in 6th grade and yes we’re more lax with screen time when friends are over. But if they’re going to be over for more than a few hours, I’ll eventually tell them to go out and play basketball or nerf guns or something. Most of them are fine with the break but there have been a couple that don’t know how to do anything that doesn’t involve a screen.

This is what I do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

I love the basket concept! Reminds me of the take off your shoes when I was a kid. Will have to keep this one in mind.

Keep it in mind if your goal is for your teen boy to have no friends over. I’m fairly strict with screens in general but I’ll let it go when my sons have friend over. They all have a blast, cheering each other on and figuring out plans for the game together. Why not just let your kids have some fun and make your home the place their friends actually want to be? What’s the real benefit of denying them some hours of fun together? My friends and I all played Atari together and had a blast. I came down the other day and found my son and his friends playing monopoly. They’re great kids, why make this harder than it has to be?

+1. I wouldn’t come to the collect-my-cellphone house. And how’s that teaching independence and building trust? Moreover, as the parent, I don’t want the liability of holding someone else’s cell phone. No way.

Yeah my kid doesn’t give her phone to other people. Sorry lady. That’s her personal property. It’s her 2021 security blanket to text me if she needs too. I know you think you are so cool or whatever but you’re not. My child has autonomy [/]

Autonomy doesn’t require mommy or daddy on speed dial 24/7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

Don’t know how old your kid is but eventually you will notice that none of his/her friends come to your house anymore.

Bring that two have already graduated from hs I can assure you that you are wrong. It was never a problem.

Do you also have a current 12 year old because if not I don’t care what you did 10 years ago. That’s not relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

Don’t know how old your kid is but eventually you will notice that none of his/her friends come to your house anymore.

Bring that two have already graduated from hs I can assure you that you are wrong. It was never a problem.

Do you also have a current 12 year old because if not I don’t care what you did 10 years ago. That’s not relevant.

Yep . 12, 15, and 15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

Don’t know how old your kid is but eventually you will notice that none of his/her friends come to your house anymore.

Bring that two have already graduated from hs I can assure you that you are wrong. It was never a problem.

Does "everyone" include your friends? Your adult kids' friends?

[Anonymous]

When our kids were growing up we had two rules - no video games consoles, phones or iPads until middle school and no screens during the week with the exception of 1 hour of internet time for HW up until HS when all rules were relaxed because they got good grades and played sports so screens were not really a problem. I think being strict when young - and letting them do whatever they wanted at other peoples houses worked well for us. Kids came here and played games sometimes but usually they watched movies because it was a weekend and they were sleeping over or whatever. Social media seems more intense now, but even with instagram and twitter back in the day they didn't get caught up in it.

[Anonymous]

Are your kids vaccinated or are you all just allowing these play dates and sleepovers? No judgment… just wondering because my kids are 11 and 9 and most parents don’t seem to be doing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't control what my kids do at their friends' houses. If I talk to the parents I do mention I don't allow the kids to play on screens in our house. That way if they want to enforce that rule at their house they won't worry about my kid saying "But I'm allowed at home!"

We keep a basket by the front door/kitchen where everyone drops their phone when they walk in. If the kids want to use their phone, they go stand there and use it. But they don't take it into my kids' bedroom or anything.

Don’t know how old your kid is but eventually you will notice that none of his/her friends come to your house anymore.

Bring that two have already graduated from hs I can assure you that you are wrong. It was never a problem.

Do you also have a current 12 year old because if not I don’t care what you did 10 years ago. That’s not relevant.

Yep . 12, 15, and 15.

So you have 5 kids. It's pretty safe to say you have no idea what your kids or anyone else's are actually doing.