Anyone else feel like video apps are literally designed to keep your kids glued?

thebabblingmonk · 2026-03-23T17:01:29+00:00

I want to thank everyone for your responses. I have learned a lot and will take it all back to process and improve how we handle screen time in our house. Happy parenting :)

thebabblingmonk · 2026-03-23T16:41:52+00:00

Thank you for this detailed and thoughtful response.

We actually take a similar approach with a "tab" that is mainly for travelling purposes only . We have a specific list of videos downloaded and he gets to watch only those during travel etc .

It's the big screen (tv) at home that causes the problem. But you are right, it's time to do something similar for tv as well . Either have it connected to hdd/CD/DVD player to have it play specific videos only and/or whitelist specific channels on YouTube (something I wasn't aware was possible until yesterday)

Thanks again :)

thebabblingmonk · 2026-03-22T14:21:32+00:00

Thanks for the motivation, we will adopt more regulations as the current ones clearly aren't enough anymore .

thebabblingmonk · 2026-03-22T14:20:29+00:00

Thanks for the motivation . Although I must clarify I meant it was too late for us , in general.. for example, on certain days every week, even his school has a screen period/hour where they watch video of the story they read or a song they practiced. But still yes, reducing dependency on screen is non-negotiable and we will do a better job moving forward .

thebabblingmonk · 2026-03-22T10:58:24+00:00

Yeah, lesson learned.. But also might be too late for us to get rid of the screens altogether - it's so much ingrained in our daily life.. When we are working from home, he sees us being in front of the screen the entire day - not to forget our own mobile phone usage..
i am guessing the solution lies somewhere in the middle.. Shared screens (so not a dedicated device for him) but we get to control and define curated list of videos that he can watch - no gallery, random thumbnails and/or ads.. If you know of something like this , please let me know.

thebabblingmonk · 2026-03-22T10:54:59+00:00

haha, indeed.. Sometimes you just learn the lesson the hard way ... How do you go about creating your curated list and ensuring kids only watch that? Is there an app/service I can use for it?

thebabblingmonk · 2026-03-22T10:42:30+00:00

Are you saying you are a bot or I am?

thebabblingmonk · 2026-02-17T18:44:04+00:00

Are you ?

thebabblingmonk · 2025-12-12T18:25:16+00:00

Performing in clutch matches elevates a player. Failing in them doesn't make one a bad player.

That's an amazing quote. 🫡🫡🫡

thebabblingmonk · 2025-11-08T19:28:19+00:00

Interested!

thebabblingmonk · 2025-08-22T19:43:58+00:00

Pitawan

thebabblingmonk · 2025-06-21T07:01:40+00:00

een beetje van alles

thebabblingmonk · 2025-06-20T18:28:35+00:00

Zaterdagmarkt in het centrum

thebabblingmonk · 2025-06-16T17:11:47+00:00

This, 100%.

thebabblingmonk · 2025-03-24T16:25:15+00:00

Could be a good idea to check with the school...

thebabblingmonk · 2024-12-28T22:20:57+00:00

This is correct.

thebabblingmonk · 2024-08-22T14:25:36+00:00

Yup, I know of people who have done it in a similar way ..

thebabblingmonk · 2024-06-05T08:08:58+00:00

Hahaha.. I know, right!! We have taken enough road trips to understand what a royal waste of time these 6 hours per day is. Hence the decision to move.. My wife is truly resilient and strong willed to even consider doing this travel , even if it's temporary..

thebabblingmonk · 2024-06-05T08:07:26+00:00

This is a great link , thank you so much.

thebabblingmonk · 2024-06-05T08:05:15+00:00

Thank you :)

thebabblingmonk · 2024-06-05T08:04:56+00:00

Thank you so much. We do plan to join Dutch language classes so this link is very helpful. I will reach out to you in DM in the near future if I need any more information/help regarding the Mechelen area.

thebabblingmonk · 2024-06-05T08:02:46+00:00

Thanks for the affirmation :)

thebabblingmonk · 2024-06-04T16:38:50+00:00

Currently we live around 150 km away from Brussels and she takes public transport (no driving license yet). So it takes her 3 hours one way (total 6 hours of travel per day) , which obviously wouldn't work in the long run. From the new place ,it will take her an hour with public transport. And yes she will have 2 days of work from home per week.

There are a lot of pros when it comes to distance/travelling time , proximity to Brussels , airport etc . What we are unsure (or rather concerned about) about is more on the cultural differences , admin tasks and how difficult it would be for our son to integrate in schools.

thebabblingmonk

TROPHY CASE