Micah's 18 Month Check Up

Micah had his 18 month check up the other day, he will be 19 months on September 5th, but everything went beautifully! He is in the 90th percentile for his weight and 95th percentile for his height. We are blessed parents to have a healthy, developing little boy.

Micah’s positive development has been something we, as parents, prayed for even before Micah made his debut in the external world. We would pray over my pregnant belly for health, safety, and for him to be a good sleeper. All of our prayers were answered! Beyond eating healthy, colorful, nutrient dense, real foods, we have limited Micah’s screen exposure. I brought this up during Micah’s exam and the doctor smiled ear to ear. The doctor simply stated: “Children should learn how to navigate the real 3D world before being engulfed in the 2D world.” My heart swelled as this is exactly why we are currently choosing to limit Micah’s screen time. Truth time: Micah has had thirty minutes of screen time since he was born. This is our current choice as parents and we respect if others choose to parent differently. My philosophy around screen time is: Screens are one option in our toolbox. Notice I didn’t say it’s a good tool or a bad tool. It’s an option among other choices that we have. Screen time can be informative, educational, and an exploration of the world beyond our (current) physical space. Screen time can also be numbing, conflicting, and strengthen our mean world syndrome. We are choosing to minimally expose Micah to any screens because he has other tools he enjoys more. Our favorite tools (currently) are: reading books, playing outside, having dance parties, coloring, building forts, chasing our dog Riley, taking family walks, finding a new trail to explore, driving cars on the sofa, and many more. We have created and shared our family videos through our Team Tanck platforms not to encourage screen time, but to demonstrate options beyond a screen. We hope to encourage you to take your own adventure, laugh with a loved one, get outside, read a book, color (in and outside the lines), and be present for your life moments. Enjoy our gorgeous 3D world. There is a beautiful life beyond our screens. Thanks for reading and being on Team Tanck!