WEBVTT - Turn screen time into a party

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that if you are going to watch TV,

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<v Speaker 1>you could make this time more satisfying by turning screen

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<v Speaker 1>time into a party. Today's tip, like some other recent ones,

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<v Speaker 1>comes from Sarah hartunger my co host on the Best

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<v Speaker 1>of Both Worlds podcasts. She mentioned that a recent highlight

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<v Speaker 1>in her life had been watching The Dance Mom's season

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<v Speaker 1>finale with her family. They knew it was coming up,

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<v Speaker 1>they all planned to be together to watch it. They

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<v Speaker 1>gathered with special snacks, and they enjoyed the experience together.

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<v Speaker 1>In other words, they turned TV time into a party.

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<v Speaker 1>I love this idea. Contrary to what you might as seen,

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<v Speaker 1>I am not totally anti TV. I don't watch myself

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<v Speaker 1>other than the occasional sports game, but I know that

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<v Speaker 1>there is a lot of excellent TV on offer these days.

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<v Speaker 1>The key to making TV time feel more like a

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<v Speaker 1>treat rather than a waste of time is to be

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<v Speaker 1>intentional about watching it. Consciously enjoying screen time with other

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<v Speaker 1>people is a great way to do that. So think

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<v Speaker 1>about how you might lean into TV as a shared experience.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you and your family all like a particular show,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe it's one that's been out for a while, or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe it's a new one coming up. Maybe you and

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<v Speaker 1>your friends all generally enjoy some major cultural experience, like

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<v Speaker 1>the Super Bowl, the Oscars, or the weekend games of

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<v Speaker 1>one of your local sports teams. Maybe you all like

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<v Speaker 1>movie adaptations of Jane Austen books or any show with

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<v Speaker 1>Benedict Cumberbatch. Think about what is truly must see TV

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<v Speaker 1>for you. Then, once you have figured out what you

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy most, figure out when you're going to watch it collectively.

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<v Speaker 1>For certain live events like the Academy Awards, that's easy

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<v Speaker 1>to do, but these days a lot of stuff can

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<v Speaker 1>be watched whenever. The problem with that is that people

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<v Speaker 1>don't think about it ahead of time, so they don't

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<v Speaker 1>get the benefit of anticipation. So think about it. Put

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<v Speaker 1>a specific time on your calendar, and make sure your

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<v Speaker 1>friends and family are on board so you can look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to watching together. You and your kids could start

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<v Speaker 1>getting psyched up for Wicked movie Night on an upcoming Friday,

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<v Speaker 1>or you could invite your friends over to watch The

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast Club on the first morning kids are back in school.

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<v Speaker 1>After spring break, you could host a small Jane Austen

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<v Speaker 1>watching party, or even watch while facetiming a far flung friend.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if you don't do this quite so formally, you

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<v Speaker 1>can still embrace the concept of looking forward to collective

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<v Speaker 1>TV watching. For instance, maybe you and your partner love

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<v Speaker 1>watching Emily and Paris. Anytime you are not wiped out

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<v Speaker 1>after your kids go to bed, you could text him

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<v Speaker 1>in the afternoon to say you are looking forward to

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<v Speaker 1>your post bedtime watch party tonight. The anticipation can add

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<v Speaker 1>to the fun, and maybe you guys will bring your

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<v Speaker 1>a game to getting the kids down as a result. Finally,

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<v Speaker 1>if your screen time is a party, then treat it

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<v Speaker 1>like a party. Most parties have some sort of food,

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<v Speaker 1>and that is certainly a good option for screen time

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<v Speaker 1>parties too. My family likes having wings and nachos if

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<v Speaker 1>we are watching a football game. If you are watching

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<v Speaker 1>a movie, maybe like a bowl of popcorn or even

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<v Speaker 1>milk duds if that is your movie theater treat of choice.

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<v Speaker 1>You could eat something related to what you are watching,

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<v Speaker 1>like scones. If you're watching The Crown, you could potentially

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<v Speaker 1>get out props or costumes, break out the sleeping bags

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<v Speaker 1>and pillows if you and your kids are watching something

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<v Speaker 1>a little after bedtime, or invite friends to wear cool

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<v Speaker 1>hats for a Kentucky Derby party. Whatever form your party takes,

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<v Speaker 1>the main idea is to be intentional and to treat

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<v Speaker 1>this time as more special than just vegging out because

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<v Speaker 1>you have nothing better to do. A lot of screen

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<v Speaker 1>time is wasted time, but when it's a party, it isn't.

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<v Speaker 1>And I am a big fan of using all time

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<v Speaker 1>well in the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.