Diary of a Working Mum

Scrollin’ and Stallin’: How I Left My Dog at the Groomers

I’m a pro at mindless scrolling. I know many others are too. Depending on my mood, I alternate between watching TikTok dances, X hot takes, and Instagram reels of beautiful dogs in adorable outfits—my thumb basically controls itself, sucking hours into oblivion. 

I intend to look at just one video, or reply to a message, however hours just simply vanish, my brain’s on autopilot, and I’m deep in a rabbit hole of “Top 10 Ways to Organise Your Sock Drawer” when I should be, oh, I don’t know… being a productive adult?

A few months ago, I forgot to pick up my dog, Daisy, from the groomers. Poor Daisy was probably side-eying the staff, wondering if I’d ever come back for her. I was neck-deep in a thread about the flat earth theory, when the groomer’s text snapped me out of it. They were asking if I was on my way. I was already 20 minutes late. Whoops.

I actively try to stay off my phone, or any device for that matter, when i’m with my daughter. There is nothing worse than seeing a parent engrossed in their phone, whilst their child sits next to them looking into space. However, rarely there have been occasions where I have found myself looking at my phone for too long in her presence. This happens more after a bad day at work, and my mind has just checked out. The mum guilt is real.

To stop my mindless scrolling, I try to make it a habit to put my phone on charge out of the way, as soon as my daughter comes home. This is easier said than done. All too often I am in a flustered mess trying to make sure all of the jobs get done. My brain feels like it needs to dissociate any chance it gets. Whether it is waiting for the tumble dryer to finish or waiting for my daughter to brush her teeth, I have been known to pick up my phone and just zone out for too long.

I try to make a conscious effort to make sure that my daughter is the focus of my attention. We all do this as parents, right? After all, we know that nothing can be gained from consuming hours of content and not remembering a minute of it. We also know that spending time with our children and being fully present is something we will always remember and never regret. However modern life has a way of zapping our energy and ridding us of all rationality.

The same can be said for children, and their desire to be in front of screens. I often feel concerned when my daughter wants to be on her iPad for longer than thirty minutes, or wants to be on her Switch whilst eating her dinner. It’s hard to tell them not to rely on screens, when they see their parents doing just that.

For this reason, as a family we try to stick to an hour per day of using devices, but some days it just does not work out. I worry that she will miss out on other important parts of life, such as enjoying family time and doing other things to bring her joy. I can’t lie though, she definitley has a good time playing Roblox and it is lovely to see her enjoying her hobby.

What are your screen time limits for your little ones, and yourself?

Cheerio

E x