Mom relies on grandma to babysit, protests when she keeps giving 2-year-old her phone: 'I want to raise my son without screens'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jun 27, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

Should a parent have to sacrifice their principles to get family to babysit?

It is a well-known phenomenon that a lot of parents start out with the noblest intentions when they have their kids, but they do not always translate into their experience of parenting. They insist that their future children will not embarrass them in public, be picky eaters, have screentime, or sleep poorly. More often than not, they end up getting humbled in some way because the task of raising kids is not as steady or predictable as they assumed.

One of the more difficult parts of sticking to your standards as a parent is if you let other people babysit your children. The chances are they are going to have slightly different ideas about what is and isn't acceptable when it comes to looking after them. Trying to enforce certain rules on kids is one thing, but demanding it of an adult is another matter altogether. Sometimes, the sacrifice that has to be made for affordable and available childcare is allowing things that you don't normally. If that is a step too far, it is probably time to consider other babysitting options that align with your ideals. Having it all as a parent is hard in more ways than one.

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_{^{A toddler looks at a phone he is holding}}
A single mom and her 2-year-old son were living with her mom on a floor of her house. One of the benefits of living together was that the mom was able to let the grandma watch her son whenever she felt like she needed some time to herself.
Although this arrangement seemed to work well on the surface, she was getting increasingly frustrated with how her mom handled time with her grandson. She didn't want her child around screens, but her mom would often hand her phone to her toddler when she felt like she was overwhelmed. She wanted advice on how to handle the situation.
My mother keeps giving my two year old her phone, and lies about it. What can I do?

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_{^{A toddler looks at the screen of a phone he is holding}}
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