Living Restfully: A Skeptic's Guide to Raising Children Screen-Free

"I know many people who have thought about cutting out screen time from their homes, but while their spirits are willing, too often their flesh proves weak. Screens have become such a crutch that we simply can’t imagine life without them. We find ourselves both loving and hating them at the same time. Harper does a superb job of painting us a real-life picture of the freedom experienced and the rest restored by raising a family free from screens." — Joel Brooks, pastor of Redeemer Community Church "One of the best gifts that parents can give to their children is a screen-free home. Harper offers her practical wisdom of how to design a restful home that cultivates intellectual, imaginative, and social empowerment for our children, the people of our future. Living Restfully is a must-read for parents." — Tracy Chang, Ph. D., professor of Sociology and Organizational Behavior, Rutgers University “Through behavioral research, personal experience, and good common sense, Living Restfully equips parents to thoughtfully navigate raising children in our technological age. Harper makes points about the effects of screen time on young children that my wife and I will consider in raising our own son.” — Collin Hansen, Editorial Director, The Gospel Coalition "Harper's advice goes far beyond simply limiting screen time for children. The notion that children have the capacity and drive to chose their own activities for free play is an essential act of faith for parents of this generation. Harper gives us everything we need to start the journey and empower our youngsters in their creative habits." — Heidi Nicole Stoeckley, Artistic Director of Children's Dance Foundation If your children are often restless, if you're exhausted at the end of every day, and if you're unsure of how to address the kids' daily screen-time allowances, then this is the book for you. Living Restfully discusses the scientific and spiritual implications of screens in our children's lives. A book for skeptics written by a skeptic, Living Restfully gets to the root of restlessness and chronicles what it's like to take the plunge in raising children screen-free.

Tamara McLeod Harper lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family. She graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a bachelor of arts degree in music. She teaches private music lessons out of her home and general music at Crestwood Day School. She is also an accompanist at Children's Dance Foundation. You can find the Harpers' children's book Bird Alphabet on blurb.com/bookstore.