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Bored Panda

Lifestyle

Justinas Keturka

These 78 Parents Barely Made It Through October, But At Least They Were Funny On X

the Mayo Clinic

It's October, and you know what that means: Halloween! Although it's technically not a kids' holiday, children do celebrate it more often than grown-ups. This year, eight in 10 parents with children under 18 say they're going to partake in Halloween activities, and only six in 10 adults without kids will do the same.

October is the month of costumes, candy, and just a general rise in anxiety and sleepless nights for parents. It's become a monthly tradition here at Bored Panda to show people what the daily life of a parent looks like, but through the lens of funny tweets.

So, this month, we're looking at what moms and dads have been going through during the spookiest month of all, and how they've been able not to lose their heads – figuratively, and, because it's Halloween, possibly literally, too!

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Image credits: mrs_g_rider

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Being a parent is hard in this day and age. One of the biggest concerns for many parents nowadays is screen time. Recent statistics show that a big portion of parents rely on screens when they don't have adequate childcare. In fact, 49% of parents admit they use screens daily, and not out of convenience but out of necessity.

People like to joke about iPad kids and look down on parents who rely on devices. However, one in four parents in the U.S. says they've used screens when they couldn't afford to find someone to take care of their child while the parents were busy. What's more, 34% have given their child a screen when they couldn't find any other form of childcare.

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Image credits: dadmann_walking

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Is it ideal? No. But it shows that not all parents put their kids in front of screens out of laziness. Shaming parents for trying to get through another day with their child happy and healthy might even have a negative effect on the parent-child relationship. As one recent study suggests, the more guilty a parent feels about their child's screen time, the more stress they feel, and the more strained their relationship with the child can become.

We're not saying that children spending a prolonged amount of time in front of a screen is good. On the contrary, the general consensus among experts is that children under the age of two should not have any screen time at all. And older children should get limited screen time to around one to two hours per day.

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What are the negative effects of children spending too many hours on a tablet, computer, phone, or even in front of a TV? According to the Mayo Clinic, they can become more prone to being overweight. Any time spent in front of a screen will most likely be a sedentary activity. And with one in five children and teens in the U.S. having obesity, we need to encourage kids to move more and spend less time sitting down.

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Lots of screen time also messes up kids' sleeping schedules. Many adults can probably attest to that: how many times have you gone to bed at 3 AM because you just had to finish bingeing a show? Many studies have found a link between media use and delayed bedtime or decreased sleep time. When they don't get enough sleep, kids are more likely to feel fatigued and snack more, leading them to the problem above.

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Prolonged screen time also carries the risk of causing behavioral problems in kids. Even we adults like to joke about how our attention spans are ruined because of smartphones and social media. Well, it might be even worse for children since their brains are still developing. Numerous studies have shown that excessive screen time causes children to have difficulty concentrating in school and performing tasks poorly.

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Screen time also affects kids' emotional well-being. A recent review of 117 studies has found that excessive screen time causes kids to act aggressively, feel anxiety, and have low self-confidence. What's more, it usually acts as a vicious cycle: screen time causes these socioemotional problems in kids, but to cope with them, they turn to the same screens (phones, tablets, TVs, video games, and even online homework) and continue the cycle.

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Luckily, there are some strategies parents can use to minimize their children's screen time. As the experts from the Mayo Clinic advise:

Don't use screens as background noise. Even those who grew up with parents in the '80s or the '90s may be used to the TV running in the background while having dinner, doing homework, or even reading. Experts say that it distracts children, so, it's better to turn devices off.

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Place screens outside of the bedroom. Remove the temptation to fall asleep to a YouTube video or a TV show – it ruins the sleep cycle, remember? Experts say that children tend to spend more time in front of a screen when their parents are not watching, which is usually while they're in their room.

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Ban devices during dinner time. It's a good idea for the entire family to put their devices away while eating. Experts also caution that it encourages "mindless munching," which might lead to weight gain. It also prolongs screen time: a kid will keep watching until he or she finishes his or her meal, which might be slower since they're concentrating on what they're watching so much.

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But what about you, Panda parents? How was your October and how did you cope with all the joys and challenges that parenting brings? Share your stories with us in the comments! And while you're here, don't forget to check out our previous compilations of the funniest parenting tweets from September, August, and July!