Mindful Mama Mondays #5: Screens, Screams & Sanity

A survival guide for managing screen time

(without tossing your phone into the pressure cooker)

If you’ve ever handed your toddler your phone with one hand while stuffing a soggy towel into the laundry machine with the other, whispering, “Just one episode of Peppa while I find your pants”—congratulations.

You’re not failing.

You’re parenting in 2025.

Screens are everywhere, and whether it’s your preschooler’s zombie-eyed binge of “Wheels on the Bus: 13 Hour Remix,” or your own midnight Instagram scrollathon that starts with “mom hacks” and ends with a 3am Google search for “why does my toddler eat cardboard”—we’ve all been there.

So today, dear reader, let’s talk screens.

Let’s talk screams.

And most importantly, let’s talk sanity.

The Screen Saga: Then vs. Now 🎥

Back in our childhood, screen time meant Doordarshan, one TV in the drawing room, and waiting a whole week for Shaktimaan.

There were no tablets, no Cocomelon, and certainly no reels of aesthetic lunchboxes while we licked posto off our fingers.

Now?

Screens are the babysitter, the pacifier, the teacher, the entertainer, the enemy, and the relief valve.

All rolled into one touchscreen.

And if you’ve ever felt the mom guilt spiral after letting your child watch a few episodes so you can fold clothes, take a poop in peace, or just… breathe—let me say it loudly for the ones in the back:

You are not alone.

And you are not lazy.

You are surviving.

A Real Talk on Moms and Screens 📱

Let’s not pretend it’s just the kids.

You and I both know that “I’m just checking the time” can turn into 47 minutes of Reddit rabbit-holing, 14 WhatsApp group chats responses, two Instagram away stories, and a half-written Amazon cart.

We scroll while nursing.

We scroll while waiting for the bottle to cool.

We scroll while hiding from the chaos in the bathroom like it’s a sacred temple.

And here’s the thing—sometimes it is sacred.

Sometimes a mom needs a mental vacation, even if it’s just watching someone else fold laundry in satisfying time-lapse glory.

But here’s where mindfulness steps in—not with judgment, but with gentle awareness.

Mindful Screen Time for Kids 💡

(and What’s Working for Us)

After a particularly wild week of a 104°F fever (don’t ask), my toddler was glued to the TV and I was glued to my tea.

We survived it.

But once things calmed down, we decided to rethink our screen habits—not with panic, but with purpose.

Here are a few shifts that helped us:

1. Create Screen-Time Rituals, Not Random Rewards
   Screens aren’t treats or threats—they’re tools. We now have a “Screen Time Hour” after lunch when both my toddler and I decompress. She watches Miss Rachel. I watch a cat rescue video and drink tea. Balance.
2. Curate, Don’t Just Consume
   We swapped endless autoplay for curated playlists. No ads. No surprise jump-scares from Blippi. Just calm, educational, age-appropriate stuff that doesn’t turn my child into a cartoon-hyperactive hyena.
3. Co-Watch When Possible (Even Just a Bit)
   Even five minutes of co-watching helps me know what she’s absorbing—and gives us things to talk about later. (“Why did the octopus hide, Mommy?” turns into a whole pretend play session.)
4. Screens Off, Something Else On
   When screens go off, we transition to something else—not just “NO SCREEN!” but “Let’s do blocks/drawing/pretend to be cats.”
   Juju tip: Let your toddler “put the screen to sleep.” Works surprisingly well.

Mindful Screen Time for Moms 🙋‍♀️

(Yes, You Deserve a Plan Too)

Let’s be honest. We’re not monks. We don’t need to go screen-free. We just need to be screen-aware.

Here’s how I’ve been (trying to) stay sane:

• No phone scrolling before 9am. I keep it in another room. My toddler’s morning tantrums deserve my full, uncaffeinated presence.
• Social Media Sabbaths: One day a week, I log out. Sometimes I miss it. Sometimes I don’t. Either way, it’s freeing.
• The Doomscrolling Timeout: When I catch myself scrolling mindlessly, I ask: “What am I really looking for?” Connection? Distraction? A laugh? Once I name it, I find it elsewhere—text a friend, go outside, hug the cat.
• Permission to Escape (Consciously): Yes, I still scroll sometimes just to escape the madness. But now I do it on purpose. A few reels with my evening chai? That’s me-time, baby.

This Too Shall Pass 🧘‍♀️

Tales from the Trenches (ft. Peppa Pig)

It was one of those days.

My toddler had woken up too early, the baby had refused a nap, the cat had thrown up on the doormat, and I was trying to remember if I had brushed my teeth—or just dreamed about it.

Somewhere between snack tantrum #3 and a diaper blowout, I surrendered.

I handed over the remote.

“Peppa it is.”

Five minutes in, both kids were glued to the screen, giggling at Daddy Pig falling into a muddy puddle (again).

I sat beside them, bleary-eyed, holding a cold cup of tea and wondering how my life had come to this.

Then something magical happened.

My toddler turned to me and said, “I am Peppa Pig, this is my little brother George. You are Mummy Pig. And here’s Daddy Pig.” And just like that, we were a Pig Family, rolling on the carpet snorting and giggling. The baby clapped. The cat (miraculously) purred. Chaos paused.

It wasn’t perfect. But it was precious.

So yes, the screens happened.

Yes, Peppa saved the day.

And no, I didn’t win any parenting awards.

But I survived.

We laughed.

And later, we jumped in real muddy puddles—just like Peppa taught us.

This too shall pass. And sometimes, it’ll pass with snorts and muddy shoes.

So if you’re reading this after a day full of Peppa and plotting your screen redemption arc tomorrow—breathe.

You are doing just fine. The screens, the screams, the guilt—it all passes.

Just keep coming back to your why.

Why are you reaching for the screen?

Why do you want less of it today?

That’s all mindfulness is. Awareness… not perfection.

Before You Go…👩‍💻

Screens aren’t the enemy. Mindlessness is.

We don’t need to go “zero screen.” We just need to go “screen aware.”

Next week on Mindful Mama Mondays, we’ll be talking about The Mom Body Check-In—stretch marks, pelvic floors, and a little belly we now call “the cushion of wisdom.”

Until then, whether you’re screen-deep in cartoons or sneak-watching Bridgerton with headphones under a blanket—may your battery stay charged, and your mind stay kind.

With love and low brightness,

– Juju

Liked this? Forward it to your screen-weary mom friends. Or better yet—read it together while your kids co-watch Peppa. No shame, just solidarity. 💛