For the Child Who Wants a Screen Before School

Four lines you can say out loud tonight. Word for word. Free to save.

What to say

1. No screen before school. The tablet stays in the drawer until you’re home.

2. Waking up and wanting the show right away makes the morning feel empty without it.

3. I put the tablet in the drawer at night so it isn’t the first thing you see.

4. After school you get twenty minutes, and you pick the show on the way home.

When to use it

This is for the moment it actually goes wrong — not the calm version you rehearse in the car. Pick one line. Say it once. Then stop talking and wait three seconds. If they push back, repeat the same line, not a new one. Say the same thing for five nights before you decide it doesn't work.