How to Reduce Guilt When You Rely on Screens 

Parenting Perspective 

It is okay sometimes to divert your attention to screens when you are physically drained. It is not ideal or preferred but sometimes necessary, and even wise, in certain moments of physical depletion. 

When your body is aching, your eyes are heavy, and you simply do not have the energy to entertain, respond, or even stay alert, a screen can become a buffer between survival and burnout. It is not the screen itself that causes harm. It is the meaning and emotional climate that surrounds it. 

If a screen is used with intention, within limits, and without emotional neglect, it can serve as a temporary bridge, giving your child stimulation while you protect your health.

How to Reduce Guilt, and Reframe the Moment 

Name the screen as a support tool, not a parenting failure

Tell yourself: ‘This is helping me recover so I can re-enter with more presence later.’ That is a wise choice, not a weak one. 

Narrate it to your child, honestly but gently

Say: ‘Mummy is very tired, so we are going to watch something calm while I rest next to you. Afterwards, we will do something together.’ This models boundary-setting, not avoidance. 

Stay emotionally nearby

Even if you are not talking or watching, your physical presence (a touch, a glance, a smile) keeps the connection alive. 

Set a recovery intention

Let screen time be a part of the reset, not the default. You might say: ‘After this show, I will take three deep breaths and stretch. Then we will play something quiet together.’ 

Guilt often comes when screen time becomes a reaction rather than a decision. Reframing it as a temporary act of preservation softens the emotional load, for both of you. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam honours balance, not just in worship, but in every act of responsibility. Parenting is an act of Amanah (trust) but so is preserving your health. Even the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encouraged rest, light-heartedness, and emotional pacing in his interactions with family. 

A Reminder to Walk the Middle Path (Wasatiyyah) 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Furqaan (25), verse 67: 

“And it is those people that do not spend extravagantly, and are not miserly; and (act in such a way) that is a balanced format between these two (extreme characteristics).” 

This Verse, though about spending wealth, reflects the wider Islamic principle of Wasatiyyah , the middle path. You are not asked to parent in extremes. You are encouraged to walk in moderation, with mercy toward yourself as well as your child. 

The Prophetic Model: Your Body Has a Right Over You 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

“Verily, your body has a right over you.” 

[Sahih Muslim, 2816] 

This hadith is applicable to all conditions. It does not say ‘unless you have children’. It remains true, even in motherhood, even in fatherhood, even in exhaustion. 

If in a moment of weariness, you choose screen time so that you may rest, reset, and return with love, that is not guilt, worthy. That is wise stewardship of both your child’s needs and your own limits. You are not failing. You are finding ways to stay gentle, with them and with yourself. That, too, is part of spiritual excellence.