B
oth Elena and I have noticed an uptick in one another's screen use since John was born, which is an interesting phenomenon. My theory about it is that out time is perpetually cut in very short chunks of expected "freedom" -- the feeling is that we could be called away at any time to take care of something John-related. Therefore, it's counterproductive to pick up any activities that take considerable time to set up, or that can't be dropped at a moment's notice. Instagram reels and Youtube videos fit the bill awfully well, which is a dangerous cycle to get into. John's a bit too young to be developing habits about screens, I think, but he won't be for long, and I don't want him to be internalizing the idea that adults are always a couple boring moments away from picking up a phone or iPad.
Cultivating negative habits is very difficult, the same way it's hard to not think about something. It's much easier to develop a positive habit, like taking a walk every morning. This is why smokers will often replace their habit with something else, like doing pushups or eating carrots. If you want to not think about something, you have to deliberately think about something else. If you want to not do something, you'll have to deliberately do something else. What's my something else going to be?