Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Screentime
Read Chapter 4 of Habits of the Household. Key passages: Philippians 4:8; Psalm 101:3; Matthew 6:22–23.
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Perhaps no single issue provokes more parental guilt and confusion in the modern household than screens. Earley approaches this topic not with condemnation but with clarity — inviting us to ask not just "how much?" but "toward what?"
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Be honest: what is your current relationship with screens in your household? On a scale of "intentional" to "reactive," where would you place yourself — and your children?
2.Earley argues that the problem with screens isn't primarily their content — though that matters — but their capacity to fracture attention and colonize imagination. What does he mean by this? Do you see evidence of this in your family?
3.The chapter suggests that handing a child a screen to stop a tantrum or fill a quiet moment has a hidden cost: it teaches the child that discomfort should always be immediately escaped. How does this formation work against virtues like patience, creativity, and resilience?
a.What do your children do with boredom? What do you do with your own boredom?
b.What practices or alternatives to screens have you found that actually work in your household?
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