Sunshine Parenting

Earlier this year, I devoured Devorah Heitner's book Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World during a single plane trip. Heitner's insights changed my previously (and very opinionated) negative view of my kids' screen use. I highly recommend all parents read Screenwise, as the book provides new insights into our kids’ digital world and helps parents feel less afraid of tech. She teaches us how we can become "tech-positive" parents. And while I'm still a proponent of being unplugged (as is Heitner), I now view my kids' (and my own) screen use in a more nuanced way. Screen use is not the black and white, evil versus good, proposition that it is often presented as in the sensational news pieces that fill our media feeds. Heitner's work offers a refreshing perspective that relieves parental anxiety and offers simple parenting tips and easy-to-implement strategies to be a "tech positive" parent. Heitner is the founder of Raising Digital Natives. She earned her Ph.D. in Media/Technology