We gave our oldest daughter an iPhone for her 11th birthday. She is now 13. For two years, we have followed a consistent rule for the phone, and I believe this rule has helped our family adapt to technology in a balanced way. Image: Simon Yeo via Flickr via Creative Commons license The Rule Is Simple The number one rule for my daughter’s iPhone is that every single night, the phone is powered off and stored in the dining room drawer. Powering off a phone and storing it in a common area overnight does not sound revolutionary. The rule does not contain parental controls or overbearing stipulations. The rule is simple, and maybe that is part of its effectiveness. The Rule Involves the Whole Family The rule does …

The word “pause” is a very familiar term. In my house, pause usually represents either the button I hit on the TV remote to (loudly) announce that dinner is ready. That’s for the younger kids. For my older crew, I pause the house’s internet access, which flushes the older kids out of hiding in all corners of the house like cockroaches. But the word PAUSE has entirely new meanings in my life as of late. Public Domain Image via Pixabay. Learning to pause and give myself time has really had a great impact on several areas of my life. This concept may seem like a no-brainer to some people, but I tend to “go-go-GO!” and plow through my day’s tasks and moments, often …