Introduction

You want your child to listen to you when you ask him to turn off the game, phone, or tablet. Better grades are a high priority of yours, too. And while you want your children to enjoy being kids, it troubles you that they prefer screen-based activity to almost everything else. You can’t believe it, but it’s become a bedtime battle to get the electronic devices powered down and put away. You’re fatigued by how the battle repeats itself during the morning routine before everyone goes their separate ways for a busy day. Ugh.

I get it.

This book details a simple but powerful three-step process designed to eliminate any overreliance on, or misuse of, technology occurring in your home. I use the process and pass it along to parents regularly in my private psychology practice, where I’ve helped hundreds of families over the past ten years address their screen problem. In fact, the process is so effective that I have developed a love for implementing it to help families unplug from electronic devices, and reconnect with one another in more organic and lasting ways. How great does it sound to scoop up all the energy you presently spend on arguing, and deposit it instead into times of authentic and mutual enjoyment that bring you closer to one another? That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

Does that scenario sound too good to be true? Maybe it is.

Or maybe . . . you know that such a scenario is possible and that you just need help getting there. Maybe you’ve had enough. You’re ready to make a change. Maybe you’re excited at the idea of declaring Game Over on having to beg your child to turn off the device and study. If so, then let’s play a new game. I’ll be the coach and guide you through the three steps of the game, the object of which is to liberate your child from being played and have him reclaim the title of Game Player.