The simple way we're spending more time as a family every night.

I’ve cracked it. I’ve found the key.   

While ‘it’ may not be as miraculous as say, discovering a cure for #manflu or correcting the ratio of crunchy bits versus ice cream in Golden Gaytime tubs, it’s still pretty darn special. 

You see, I’ve discovered a way of getting my kids off their devices without tears, bribery or Blackmagic, allowing us to spend more time together as a family every night.

And while I would like to take all of the credit and rebrand myself as some kind of parenting wizard, props need to go to Optus Pause because they’re the real MVPs in this story.

Let me give you some background. 

As the parent of one tween tottering ever closer to teenage hood, one tween with the attitude and life outlook of a 16-year-old, one pre-schooler with older, screen savvy siblings and two parents who both work online, devices are a hot topic around the dinner table. 

While we have a number of screen time rules in place, our family is not immune to the joys of YouTube Kids or, for the older two, inexplicably watching other, highly excitable and usually American people play video games. 

We are always working towards a better balance between ‘screen lyfe’ and ‘real life’ and ways to more actively manage our time spent online. Enter Optus Pause and its deceptively simple formula for putting family time back on the table.

Optus what?

We all love being online, but sometimes, you just need to take a break.

Some may call it a digital breather, others may call it ‘removing devices from the hands of my children so that we can have a conversation that isn’t about Minecraft and when Minecraft can be played again’. 

That’s why Optus have introduced Optus Pause which gives families the option to press pause on selected mobile and home wi-fi connections through My Optus App, all at the push of a button.

Clive Dickens, Vice President of TV, Content & Product Development at Optus says, "As a technology company, we know the positive role that connectivity plays in the everyday lives of Australians, but we also understand that sometimes our love of staying connected 24/7 can create distractions for ourselves, our families and our friends.

"Optus Pause empowers our customers to balance their time whilst connected…so a face-to-face business meeting can be social-media-update-free, family dinner time can be about the conversation not online chat, or sleep time can be absent of ‘pings’."

Pause please

We all know how easy it is to lose track of time when you’re online. 

We also know how often we set good intentions (like, I’ll definitely put my phone down by 7.30pm and focus on Schitt’s Creek yet somehow, 8pm rolls around and you’re watching while Googling “David Rose best one liners season 3”). 

With Optus Pause, you can put yourself (and/or the rest of your family), in a digital ‘time out’. 

Optus Pause is available through My Optus App and allows home and mobile customers to easily manage their time online by deciding when they would like to ‘tap out’ and take a connectivity break. 

"Optus is pioneering digital and customer innovation through a simple solution that works across eligible mobile and home WiFi connections; across Optus connected handsets and devices on the account and in the household," said Dickens.

Side note: Listen to This Glorious Mess, Big Kids. Post continues below.

It’s not a blanket ban where everyone has to be online or offline at once. 

You can pick and choose devices which makes it easier to manage the differing needs of your family. Older kid got homework they need to finish up after dinner?

Keep the family computer online but nix the iPad to keep any sneaky scrolling under control.

Emails to send once the kids are in bed? 

Leave your laptop connected but perhaps press pause on your phone so that Insta doesn’t suck you in and send your best laid plans awry. 

It’s that little extra nudge we sometimes need to prioritise our tasks or get off our screens altogether.

Making screen time work for us

Like many kids (and, ahem, adults) mine do well with routine and clear boundaries. 

Being able to set up windows of screen time, thanks to the handy timer function available on Optus Pause, has meant that they get a clear understanding of when they’re allowed online and when they’re absolutely not.

And because it’s all controlled remotely, via the app, we don’t even need to enter into the joy that is the ‘5 more minutes’ dance. 

I don’t even need to be in the room for it to take place. 

We can enjoy dinner as a family at the table, without any device-based distraction.

The more times it happens, the more times it becomes part of our nightly routine with the kids reaching a point where they know it’s time to come upstairs and help set the table when their time is up. 

And look, there’s a chance they think that there’s some kind of national law that makes the internet stop working for kids under 10 at certain times, but hey, I’m not going to dissuade them from that thinking. 

Optus Pause, national law, whatever they think, it’s working for our family and that can only be a good thing.

Feature Image: Supplied.

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