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Stephanie Byrne

I'm a human services professional collaborating w families since 2000. I carry Lead Teacher certification across multiple age groups through the MA DEPT of Early Education & Care. I also hold certificates in Human Services and Parent Coaching. I have successfully served a range of families & I'm currently working in my community as a family centered support specialist.
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About Stephanie Byrne

I'm a human services professional collaborating w families since 2000. I carry Lead Teacher certification across multiple age groups through the MA DEPT of Early Education & Care. I also
hold certificates in Human Services and Parent Coaching. I have successfully served a range of families & I'm currently working in my community as a family centered support specialist.

4 years of practice
On Core Spirit since July 2021
Certificates
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Articles
Stephanie Byrne
Embracing Gratitude: Nurturing a Positive Mindset for the Journey of Parenting

In a world filled with uncertainties, it's easy to imagine losing everything in the blink of an eye. Many people adopt a gratitude practice as protection from loss. This can cause people to become fearful about change, but in reality a true gratitude practice goes beyond the notion of preserving everything as it is. It's about cultivating a flexible mindset, holding space, and clarifying intentions. In this short essay, we'll explore the transformative power of gratitude and how it can enhance your overall parenting experience.

At the heart of a gratitude practice is attention and intention. It’s no secret that what we focus our attention on is what will grow. Consider the phrase ‘enjoy every moment, they grow up so fast’. Despite the innocent intent, this remark is single handedly responsible for most ambivalence experienced by parents. Practicing gratitude won’t prevent children from growing up, but it can be a valuable tool that invites us to intentionally shift our perspective from losing our children to discovering new ways of being with our children. Thereby amplifying the aspects of parenting that bring attunement, well-being, and satisfaction.

Gratitude starts with intention. Start by deciding what you want, for the best results your intention should be specific and actionable. The next step is to clarify your intentions, reminding yourself of why you want to practice gratitude and your desired outcome. Then decide on a gratitude practice. You could choose to write in a journal, repeat a mantra to expressing gratitude verbally, or create a gratitude jar. Finally make your gratitude practice a regular habit by devoting a space and a specific time each day for reflection.

Gratitude, when used to reflect on your values, evaluate your priorities, and to practice self-regulation, becomes a powerful coping skill. It empowers parents to embrace changes, stay present during their own evolution, and persevere through parenting challenges. Over time practicing gratitude can rewire your brain to not being anxious about a future without young children.

Stephanie Byrne
Suggestions For An Effective And Successful Start To Reducing Screen And Technology Use

I want to begin this article by acknowledging that screens and technology can be effective tools for communication, organization, and learning (raise your hand if you’re grateful for an Alexa device that serves as an intercom system of sorts). However, many of us forget or are unaware that screens and technology are designed to capture and hold attention. Thomas H. Davenport and John C. Beck define the concept of attention as “the focused mental engagement on a particular item of information. Items come into our awareness, we attend to a particular item, and then we decide whether to act.” Screens and technology force family members to compete for each other's attention. This has inflated the value of attention.
While screens and technology vie to influence the behaviors and habits of individual family members, caregivers report feeling ‘helpless’ to reduce screen and technology use in the home despite their children exhibiting delays in physical, social, and language development and an increase in disruptive behaviors. All this impacts the development of attachment, reduces the quality and amount of engagement and responsiveness between family members. Not to mention the risk of being exposed to harmful content and advertising. (An Early Childhood Work Group Project et al., 2019)
I am not writing to cause worry and panic but rather to remind families to be intentional in their use of screens and technologies and their efforts to reintroduce real-world experiences. The following suggestions are practical and sustainable behaviors to reduce screen and technology use.

  • Create screen and technology boundaries by designating screen/technology free areas of your home and setting time limits. This might look like no screens in the bedrooms and bathrooms, but screens can be used in the living room from 4:30-6:00.

  • Implement a one device at a time rule.

  • Clarify the intended use of devices in the home, like the Alexa is for announcements and music or laptops are for school/work and school/work related use only.

  • Arrange your furniture in a way that promotes interaction; not set up around a screen.

  • Keep devices physically away UNTIL there’s an intentional reason to use them.

  • Set a timer when scrolling or online shopping.

    Additional small but effective steps to reduce screen and technology use include swapping screen time for a quiet sit on the porch or a walk, sorting and folding laundry outside instead of in front of a screen, refreshing and replenishing outside spaces and toys, adding new photo albums/ books/ puzzles and games to the living room and dining room, make household cleaning and organizing tasks a family affair, connecting with a local nature center and your state’s parks and recreation department

                                                                                 References
    

Davenport, T. H., & Beck, J. C. (2002). The Attention Economy: Understanding
the New Currency of Business. Harvard Business Review Press.

An Early Childhood Work Group Project, Holohan, MA, CFLE, M., & Cantor, EdD, P. (2019,
April 11). Home. fairplay for kids.

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