“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry” is the perfect motto for parenthood. It can be exhausting — but finding a way to laugh about the hard things and commiserate with other parents is a balm to the soul. And no one’s better at it than Drew Scott! The Property Brothers host, who is dad to 21-month-old son Parker and a baby-on-the-way with wife Linda Phan, often makes hilarious videos about dad life. While most people can relate, his latest video is drawing backlash from parent shamers.
iPad Addiction Video
In the video, Scott acts as himself and as his son Parker. “POV: Trying to limit your kid’s screen time 📱,” he wrote over the clip on Instagram. It starts with Scott-as-Parker dressed in red plaid pajamas and sitting on the couch watching a video on an iPhone. He’s laughing at the video when a hand reaches out and takes it away. The laughter instantly turns to dramatic tears and screaming.
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Then, the camera cuts to Scott, acting himself in a gray t-shirt with a brown jacket and jeans. He gives his “son” a look before handing it back. When the screaming “Parker” gets the phone back, he immediately stops screaming and smiles at the phone. It was clearly fake crying to get what he wanted — which totally worked. No judgements here, I’ve done this with my boys, too!
“iPad addiction … it’s a real thing 😩 #ParentingBeLike #parenting,” he captioned the video.
The video is so, so true. Sometimes it’s just easier to give your toddler an iPhone or an iPad so you get a few seconds of quiet time — especially when you’re out in public or you need to get things done without their “help.” Some parents, like us, could totally relate.
The Comments
“Omg, we are in the same boat 🤣,” Michelle Kwan commented.
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Drew Scott’s Son Parker Is Every Indecisive Toddler in a Funny New Picture That Shows Off His Wild Side
“The irony of me showing this to my kids and them finding hilarious, then getting upset when I turned the video off,” someone else quipped. “MY KID IS STILL LIKE THAT, & SHE’S 29, LOL, LOL, LOL 😂🤣,” another person commiserated.
However, some people felt the need to be super judgy. “I hate how we normalize this and laugh about it yet it’s so so harmful for kids more and more studies showing the effects of screens … a week of screen detox is all you need and kids get reset. We need to do better for our kids,” one person wrote.
“Your kid has no business being on an iPad at his age,” another person rudely wrote.
Someone else criticized his parenting skills: “Yep, I’d say the addiction is more of parents taking the easy, lazy way out of parenting by giving kids technology that babysits kids.” Dang! Spoken like someone who has literally never experienced parenting before.
Screen Time Advice
In January, psychologist, parenting guru, and mom of three Dr. Becky Kennedy gave SheKnows advice about screen time. “The most important question about screen time is, ‘Am I using screen time in a way that works for my kid and our family?” she told us. “Sometimes short-term needs are, ‘I need my kid to be fully occupied for an amount of time, so I can fill-in-the-blank: decompress, cook, answer emails, work out, have time to myself,’ whatever it is. I totally understand this!”
She added, “To me, if you’re a parent who’s just struggling with screen time with your kid, you’re probably doing it right. It’s a tool we need to use. It’s something I don’t think parents need to feel guilty about. It’s just something parents need to have a level of mindfulness about relative to making sure we’re setting up our home today for success — but that we’re also setting up our kids for success long-term.”
So parent shamers can just take a step back and enjoy a funny video for what it is!
Before you go, check out all the times Drew Scott and Linda Phan gave a glimpse into life with their son, Parker.
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