Be where your feet are
For months, I’d had this idea sitting in the back of my mind: what if I parked my phone during the most important hours of the day—from school pickup until bedtime?
What if I created a few sacred hours in our home that weren’t interrupted by dings, alerts, or the pull of unread emails?
Last week, I finally acted on it:
I got a landline.
Yes, an actual cordless phone that lives in our kitchen. Not for scrolling, group chats or news alerts. It’s for one thing only: my husband to reach me if he's running late from work, or in case of an emergency while my phone is parked and silenced.
What didn’t surprise me was how freeing it feels to put my phone away. A friend’s phone broke last week, and her husband texted me to let me know. My response?
“Luxury. I love when I can’t be reached.”
And that was the final nudge I needed—to remember that I am in control of my attachment to technology.
Encouraging Independence (One Call at a Time)
In Switzerland, children are encouraged to go short distances alone from an early age—to the bakery, to school, to a neighbor’s house. With our new landline, I’ve started letting my 7-year-old do this, and stay home alone for small stints. Now, he can call me if he needs anything, and I can check in without worrying he has to navigate my smartphone screen.
The kids loved practicing with the new phone; reading “Mum” and “Papa” on the caller ID, pushing the flashing green button to answer.
It was simple. It was sweet. It felt like a win for all of us.
Modelling Healthy Tech Use for My Kids
My children are still young - years away from getting a iPad, phone or any technology of their own - but they’re watching.
Always watching.
My 2-yr old recently started picking up my phone when I left it in another room, carrying it to me, saying “Here, mama.” When I tried to explain that I didn’t need it, he didn’t understand. I usually always have it with me. If it’s parked, if I use it less in front of them, I hope this will stop.
Like everything in life (and especially in parenting): we have to practice what we preach. So, it is because I want them to develop a healthy relationship with technology that I have to show them what that looks like.
The Research is Clear
- In the U.S., children aged 8–12 spend over 5 hours a day on screens, not including schoolwork (Common Sense Media).
- Preschoolers with higher screen use had increased risk of behavioral difficulties—including attention problems and emotional dysregulation (BMJ Open, 2021); scored lower on language production, language comprehension and parent-child closeness (BMJ Open, 2023).
This isn’t about guilt or panic—it’s about awareness. If we want our kids to grow up knowing when to disconnect, and that they can choose to disconnect, we need to start modelling that behaviour ourselves.
Multitasking Isn’t a Superpower
This shift back to landline, also reminded me of something I wrote about multitasking. The short version: it doesn’t work.
We like to think multitasking makes us more efficient—but the brain doesn’t truly do two things at once. It switches between tasks, and each switch adds mental load, decreases memory retention, and increases stress.
What we call “multitasking” is actually a fast-paced game of distraction.
If this topic interests you, you might enjoy the original article I wrote: Why Multitasking Isn’t a Superpower — And What to Do Instead
Presence Is a Practice
I’m not trying to live in the past. I’m just trying to make small shifts that feel more human. More intentional. More aligned with the kind of parent and person I want to be.
So for now, the phone stays parked, the landline stays plugged in, and I’m practicing presence—one evening at a time.
I’d love to hear from you:
Have you tried a phone break? Or thought about setting clearer tech boundaries?
Until next time,
Erica
P.S. I’ve also just discovered iPhone’s Focus Mode, where I can silence everything from except certain people calling or certain apps. It's a great starting point for the disconnecting.
No email, no group chats, no news alerts. Just what I actually need in the moment. This + my landline means my daytimes are for work and my evenings for family. More focus and less distraction for both.
P.P.S. I don't think it's possible to only allow app notifications from a certain person, i.e. WhatsApp from my husband only, but if it is please respond to this and tell me how.
