Digital Detox

Molly DeFrank

Description

"This brilliant book is a game-changer."--WENDY SPEAKE, author of The 40-Day Social Media Fast and Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses"Hope and practical direction for parents." --FRANCIS and LISA CHAN, New York Times bestselling authorsIt's time to flip the switch and get your kids back. Mom of six Molly DeFrank was sick of screen-time meltdowns. She wanted more for her family, so she pulled the plug, declaring a digital detox for her kids. The transformation blew her away: She got her sweet, happy kids back.The detox was easier than she could have hoped, and the results were better than she could have dreamed. In just two weeks, her children were free from the grip of digital devices. Their moods shifted immediately, and their creativity exploded. They learned how to entertain themselves and enjoy life without screens.Her experiment led to a total tech overhaul that changed her family's life. Here's how she did it in just fourteen days, and how you can too.Digital Detox offers step-by-step guidance that will help you· overcome your fear of firing your "electronic babysitter"· cultivate your child's giftings outside of screens· confidently set the right tech boundaries for your family· develop a long-term plan to sustain lasting changeBest of all, you'll transform screen zombies into friendly, happy, grateful kids.You can put technology in its right place. This book will show you how.

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 19 avril 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493435753
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Endorsements
“Parents unknowingly destroy their children by being passive. Digital Detox exposes the harmful effects of screen time while giving hope and practical direction for parents.”
Francis and Lisa Chan, New York Times bestselling authors
“I don’t know a parent who isn’t concerned about the amount of time their kids are spending on screens. For many moms and dads, screen time is their biggest trigger. After all, devices can become divisive—dividing us from one another, schoolwork, and even health and happiness. Unfortunately, we don’t know what to do about it or where to start. Molly DeFrank paves the way. This brilliant book is a game changer for parents. It will transform the way families engage with their screens—and ultimately how they engage with each other. Molly is a wise, worthy, and witty guide. She will help families take charge of their devices—instead of letting devices take charge of families.”
Wendy Speake, author of The 40-Day Social Media Fast and co-author of Triggers: Exchanging Parents ’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses
“ Digital Detox is a personable, hands-on guide to making your kids’ and even your own lives a whole lot better. One big surprise: Your kids are likely to thank you for taking action. Get this book!”
Richard Freed, PhD, author of Wired Child
“I recommend this book for all parents of young children. It’s a fact-based, funny, practical guide for how to get kids off their screens and back into real life.”
Anna Lembke, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
“In today’s tech-driven world, Digital Detox is an essential resource for parents. With grace and humor, Molly DeFrank combines real-world examples with practical tips to give parents the tools and confidence they need to make lasting changes. Much more than a how-to guide, Digital Detox offers hope and inspiration to families seeking a more balanced relationship with technology.”
Kristin Demery, author of One Good Word a Day: 365 Invitations to Encourage , Deepen, and Refine Your Faith
“Finally! A practical guide that shows us parents how to navigate raising our kids in a technology-driven world. As a fellow Christian mama, I love how Molly lays it all out there. Her advice is realistic and useful, and her stories are relatable and encouraging. It’s time we reset our approach to digital entertainment in the home, and my husband and I agree—this book is the perfect first step for every parent to take!”
Heidi Anderson, author and Christian influencer, @thismotherhen
“ Digital Detox is a well-researched, sophisticated guide to outsmarting the addictive pandemic of digital entertainment—the furtive electronic cocaine that is rapidly destroying the creative childhood and intellectual drive of too many American children. In part thanks to the other pandemic, screen time for many kids has reached a mind-blowing eight hours a day. In addition to her broad knowledge, Mrs. DeFrank translates her firsthand experience as a working mom and foster mom into thoughtful, practical advice. If you are a parent, this book will change your life. And more importantly, the life of your kids. Believe me, they will thank you.”
Peter C. Whybrow, MD, author of The Well-Tuned Brain : The Remedy for a Manic Society
“Molly DeFrank’s important book is a useful resource for parents concerned about the effects of tech overuse on their children. Her honest insights on parenting, along with her practical action steps, are much-needed tools we can use to protect our kids.”
Joe Clement, teacher and co-author of Screen Schooled
“Molly has managed to overcome what has become all too common in households all over—battles with our children about screen time. With practical advice and tons of conviction, Digital Detox is a great resource for parents of all ages.”
Matt Miles, teacher and co-author of Screen Schooled
“Molly DeFrank has written a must-read primer for anyone who is ready to reset their family’s digital world! Her easy-to-follow two-week plan will support you from beginning to end of your detox. This book is an incredible, thoughtful, and unique way we can all benefit from minimizing technology within our families.”
Monica Gomez, speech language pathologist
“‘Doctor, is the time she spends on her phone bad for her eyes?’—a worthwhile question I am often asked. But the deeper and more important question relates to her human development rather than her visual development. Mrs. DeFrank has written an accessible and important handbook for parents looking for guidance in our technocentric culture.”
Jeffrey C. Krohn, OD, FAAO
“Too many children are trading in wonder and adventure for hours of sitting still staring at a screen. We need more voices like Molly DeFrank’s to pull us away from mind-numbing entertainment. Digital harms and addictions can no longer be ignored. It’s time to rise up as parents. A digital detox in your home is doable! This book is incredibly practical and will help you transform your home for the better, one day at a time.”
Arlene Pellicane, author of Screen Kids and host of the Happy Home podcast
“If you’ve got a love-hate relationship with screens in your home, Digital Detox is the guidebook you’ve been looking for. With her signature honesty and spot-on hilarity, Molly shows us exactly how we can help our kids break free from the grip of tech and recapture the magic of childhood.”
Kayse Pratt, founder of Anchored Women
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2022 by Molly DeFrank
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3575-3
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Some names and details in this book have been changed to preserve privacy.
Cover design by Emily Weigel
Author represented by Books & Such Literary Management
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
For Dad _________
Contents
Cover
Endorsements 1
Half Title Page 5
Title Page 7
Copyright Page 8
Dedication 9
Introduction 13
1 . Parenting Challenges for a New Generation—The Problem 19
Part One: UNDO the Tech Trance 37
2 . U nplug Cold Turkey 39
3 . N otice Your Kids’ Interests, Talents, Opportunities for Growth 56
4 . D evelop a List of Screen-Free Fun Together 67
5 . O pen the Books! 82
6 . Reading Aloud: The Magic Ticket 96
Part Two: Now What? Sustaining Your Results 107
7 . Creating a Long-Term Plan for Younger Kids 109
8 . Creating a Long-Term Plan for Older Kids 125
9 . Great Uses for Screens: Tech and Leisure 150
10 . Tech and Learning 168
11 . A Detox and Long-Term Plan for Every Kind of Family 182
12 . Tech for Mom and Dad 200
Afterword 217
Tips for Getting a Skeptical Spouse on Board 219
Two-Week Detox Daily Plan 223
Worksheet for Tweens and Teens 231
Creating Preventative Solutions 233
FAQs 235
Recommended Reading 241
Acknowledgments 245
Notes 249
About the Author 255
Back Cover 256
Introduction
“MOM, THANK YOU so much for taking our screens away,” my ten-year-old daughter said out of the blue, a few months after our digital detox.
I nearly spat out my LaCroix. Seriously? is what my brain said. My mouth had the wherewithal to say something else. “Sweetie, you’re welcome. . . . Can I ask why you’re thanking me?”
“I just . . . feel happier. I read so many more books, I play outside more, I play with my siblings more. Also, my eyes and head used to hurt after I played video games.” My nine- and seven-year-old sons were standing nearby and nodded in agreement.
I couldn’t believe my ears.
My Minecraft-loving, LEGO Star Wars–battling, tablet-tapping children were thanking me for depriving them of their formerly favorite hobbies? My husband and I had noticed behavioral and mood improvements in our kids immediately when we began our family’s detox. But I wasn’t expecting the kids to thank us. Especially considering that when we broke the news to them initially, they practically rent their garments.
But after the screen daze was removed, the kids enjoyed more positive interactions with each other; they weren’t in fight-or-flight mode every day. They spent more time honing real-life skills like piano, drawing, writing, biking, football. With those skills came confidence, stoking their desires to further hone their talents. What started as a two-week screen break turned into a complete technology overhaul in our family with five kids under ten. The simple decision to unplug and reset changed our lives in the best way.
I initially chose two weeks arbitrarily. Mostly because I thought it was all I could handle without requiring five nannies, remembering that we cannot afford five nannies, and then settling for breathing into a paper bag. I assumed that cutting out screens would create an impossible amount of work for me, that I’d be thrust into the role of entertainment instructor, court jester, or camp counselor. Richard Simmons meets Jojo Siwa.
This turned out not to be the case. But I didn’t know that on Screen Detox Eve. Two weeks turned out to be just enough time to see how kids behave without the techn