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- Screens, Sanity, and Second Guessing: Our Family’s Messy Relationship with Tech
Screens, Sanity, and Second Guessing: Our Family’s Messy Relationship with Tech
Our messy, imperfect attempt to protect imagination in the age of YouTube and Minecraft.
Geoffrey Griffin
May 14, 2025
Focused Content
Hey Brother, in today’s Focused Fool…
Focused Purpose dives into the messy, modern parenting tension between connection and screen time. We’re not throwing out the iPads, but we are getting real about how tech is shaping our kids—and how we’re pushing back, imperfectly but intentionally.
Focused Partners brings you the 1440 Newsletter—quick, smart, and bias-free news that helps you stay informed without the doomscroll.
Focused Action offers a simple reset: Box Breathing. It’s 16 seconds that can change your day. Especially when your nerves are shot and you're about to say something you'll regret.
Focused Wonder sparks a conversation that matters: When has tech helped—or hurt—someone you know? This one opens the door to honesty, empathy, and insight at any age.
Focused Motion features a short video from Colt McCoy on how youth sports have become too intense, too early—and what we might do differently to protect our kids' joy and development.
Let’s build with intention today.
You used to build forts. Now your kid builds virtual farms—and watches other kids do it, too.
You're not crazy for wondering if screen time is quietly stealing something real.
Their attention. Their imagination. Your connection.
You don’t want to be the tech tyrant…
But you also don’t want to hand their childhood over to YouTube.
Here’s what we’re doing in our home—flaws, second-guessing, and all—to raise kids who can think, build, and still look you in the eye.
👉 Read: Screens, Sanity, and Second Guessing
Focused Partners
Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.
Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.
Focused Action
Every month, The Focused Fool brings you a series of Focused Actions—practical, bite-sized steps designed to help you grow as a father, husband, and man. Each month follows a specific theme, broken down into 12 structured actions (3 per week) that build on each other over the course of the month.
These actions are designed to be simple, achievable, and impactful, helping you establish new habits, strengthen relationships, and refine your personal leadership. Whether you follow the entire series or just a few steps, each action is a stepping stone toward becoming the man you want to be.
This month’s theme: Emotional Control: Managing anger, frustration, and stress to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting instinctively.
Box Breathing Reset
Action: Practice box breathing once today—especially during a moment of stress.
Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.
That’s one round. Do 3–4 rounds, breathing slowly through your nose.
Prompt: How did it change your state?
Focused Wonder
Focused questions designed to spark meaningful dialogue—whether at the dinner table, during a car ride, or at bedtime. Use these questions to build trust, curiosity, and laughter in your relationships.
Can you think of a time when technology really helped someone you know—and a time when it hurt them?
FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS:
How did it help them? What made it good?
How did it cause a problem or make things worse?
Have you ever felt that way yourself?
Focused Motion
Curated videos to help make you think, to motivate, or to just laugh.
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