How Sibling Influence Reduced My Son’s Screen Time

Discover how sibling influence and encouragement helped reduce my son’s screen time and inspired him to enjoy creative activities.

If you are a parent of more than one child, you may agree with me that siblings can be completely different from each other.

Of course, I am not saying this is true for every family. However, in most families, each child has a unique personality, different interests, and their own strengths and weaknesses. I have experienced the same thing with my two children.

My daughter and my son are very different from each other.

My daughter has many qualities that my son does not have, but at the same time, my son also has some wonderful qualities of his own. As parents, we are still learning to understand their individual personalities and interests.

One of our biggest concerns with my younger child has been his screen time.

My Son’s Love for Television

My husband often tells our son that his elder sister used to do many different activities when she was his age. However, my son has never shown the same interest in those activities.

He mainly enjoys watching television or playing games on a mobile phone.

We do not give him a mobile phone whenever he asks for it, so most of the time, he watches cartoons on television. Like many parents, my husband and I are concerned about excessive screen time for children.

We enrolled him in a cricket coaching centre when he was only four years old. Unfortunately, most of the other children there were older, starting from around six years of age. So, we decided that we would try enrolling him again when he turns six.

Sometimes, he plays indoor games with his elder sister. But there is one small problem—he always wants to win!

If he loses, he often loses interest in the game and stops playing. My daughter sometimes allows him to have his way, but obviously, she cannot do that every time.

And when he stops playing, he often goes back to watching television.

We encouraged him to try other activities. We suggested drawing, colouring, and different book activities. However, most of the time, he showed no interest.

The truth is, my husband and I also have our own responsibilities. It is not always possible for us to sit with him and keep him engaged throughout the day. My daughter also has her own busy schedule and cannot spend all her time entertaining her younger brother.

And honestly, I have learned something important as a parent:

You cannot force a small child to develop an interest in something.

That was certainly true for my son.

So, instead of constantly forcing him, we decided to wait patiently. We hoped that one day he would find an activity that he genuinely enjoyed.

And then, unexpectedly, that moment arrived.

My Daughter Became His Inspiration

My daughter is in Class 8, so naturally, she has a tremendous amount of academic pressure.

For the previous three weeks, she had been extremely busy with her half-yearly examinations. However, whenever her studies become less demanding or her examinations are over, she happily returns to her hobbies.

She loves dancing, drawing, and different forms of art.

After her half-yearly examinations were over, she once again started spending more time doing the things she loved.

One day, during a holiday, I was busy working in the kitchen. As usual, my son was watching cartoons on television.

Suddenly, my daughter came to me and showed me a beautiful Mandala art that she had been working on.

It was lovely!

I immediately praised her and said that she had done a beautiful piece of art. I also hugged her.

My son came into the kitchen to see what was happening.

My daughter showed him her Mandala art too.

At that moment, I noticed something interesting on his face. I cannot say exactly what he was feeling, but it seemed as if he was slightly jealous—or perhaps curious.

My daughter then told me that she was going to start another artwork.

“That’s great,” I told her. “Go ahead, dear.”

She left the kitchen, and after some time, my son also disappeared.

I continued with my work.

A little later, after finishing my work in the kitchen, I went towards the bedroom. Then I saw my daughter switching off the television.

I was surprised because I could not see my son anywhere.

Before I could ask her anything, she said, “Please come with me.”

I followed her.

And then I saw something that made me smile.

A Small Moment That Brought a Big Change

My son was sitting in my daughter’s room, colouring pictures from his colouring book.

Beside him, my daughter was working on her new Mandala art.

I did not say anything.

I simply exchanged a glance with my daughter, and we both smiled.

Without saying a word, I quietly left the room.

After some time, while I was arranging my wardrobe, my son came to me with the colouring pages he had completed.

He looked excited.

I smiled, hugged him, and said:

“It is really lovely colouring. I loved it!”

He became so happy.

Then he said, “I want to do more, Mom.”

“Yes, absolutely! Why not?” I replied. “Please go ahead, dear.”

With a big smile on his face, he went back to his sister’s room and continued colouring.

That day, before his bath and lunch, he continued colouring without watching television.

He simply followed his elder sister.

And surprisingly, this habit has continued.

How Sibling Influence Helped Reduce Screen Time

Even now, whenever my daughter sits down with her artwork, my son often joins her.

Sometimes he colours, and sometimes he draws.

The most wonderful part is that his screen time has automatically reduced.

I am not saying that he has completely stopped watching television. Of course, he still watches cartoons. But compared to before, he is now spending more time doing colouring and drawing activities.

And as parents, this small positive change has made us incredibly happy.

I honestly do not know how long this interest will continue.

Maybe it will last for a few days, a few months, or perhaps much longer.

But this experience taught me something important about child development and parenting.

When children discover something they genuinely enjoy, they naturally want to spend time doing it.

Sometimes, they simply need the right inspiration.

Did Praise Encourage My Son?

After thinking about this incident, I wondered what actually motivated my son.

Was it because I praised his elder sister?

Perhaps.

He has often heard me telling him to reduce his screen time. Sometimes, I have even scolded him for watching too much television.

But that day, he saw something different.

He saw his sister doing something creative, and he saw his mother appreciating and praising her.

Perhaps he thought that if he also did something creative, he would receive the same appreciation.

And when I praised his colouring, he became even more interested.

This is just my personal thought. I cannot say for certain what was going on in his little mind.

Another possibility is that he simply became interested after watching his elder sister.

Children often learn by observing others, especially their siblings.

Whatever the reason may be, something positive happened.

And I am happy that it happened naturally.

Every Child Finds Their Interest at Their Own Time

My biggest learning from this experience is simple:

There may not be any positive result when we constantly pressure children to do something.

We can encourage them.

We can introduce them to different activities.

We can provide opportunities.

But we cannot force them to genuinely enjoy something.

When children develop an interest naturally, they often participate with much more enthusiasm.

Every child is different.

Their personalities are different.

Their talents are different.

And their interests may develop at different times.

One child may love drawing, while another may enjoy sports.

One child may discover their passion at an early age, while another may take more time.

As parents, perhaps our role is not always to force them to become interested in something.

Sometimes, we simply need to observe.

Sometimes, we need to encourage.

And sometimes, we just need to wait.

Parenting Requires Patience

This small incident reminded me that parenting requires a lot of patience.

We may want our children to develop good habits immediately. We may worry when they spend too much time watching television or using screens.

But every child has their own journey.

My son may not be exactly like his elder sister—and that is perfectly okay.

He does not need to have the same hobbies or the same personality.

He simply needs the opportunity to discover what he enjoys.

And perhaps, sometimes, inspiration can come from the people closest to them.

For my son, this time, that inspiration came from his elder sister.

And for me, it was a beautiful reminder that sometimes a little encouragement and patience can work better than pressure.

My Learning as a Parent

Every child is unique.

Instead of comparing siblings, we should try to understand their individual interests and personalities.

We can guide them, encourage them, and introduce them to new activities—but we should also give them the freedom to discover what they genuinely enjoy.

Sometimes, all we need to do is wait patiently for the right moment.

And when that moment comes, we should be ready to encourage them.

Have you ever experienced something similar with your children?

Have you ever noticed your child developing an interest in something simply by watching an elder sibling or another family member?

If yes, please share your experience in the comments. Your story may help another parent who is currently facing a similar situation.