When Relatives Give Screens Without Asking

Assume good intent

Most relatives are trying to be kind, or to keep a child quiet at lunch. Start from that and the conversation stays short.

Say it in advance, not in the moment

A text before the visit works better than a correction across a table. "We are keeping screens for the car home, could you keep the tablet in your bag?" One sentence, no lecture.

Make it about the visit

"She only sees you once a month, I would rather she spent it with you than with a game." Most grandparents take that as a compliment, because it is one.

Offer the alternative before they reach for the tablet

Hand over a printable, a photo album, a bag of beans and a spoon. Give the adult something to do with the child and the screen rarely comes out.

Do not relitigate it at dinner

The boundary is the sentence, said once, calmly, again next time. Arguments about screen research never change anyone's mind at a table.

Let small things go

Twenty minutes of cartoons at a family party is not the thing that undoes your week. Save the boundary for the pattern, not the moment.