

I’ve cracked it. I’ve found the key.
While ‘it’ may not be as miraculous as say, discovering a cure for #manflu or correcting the ratio of crunchy bits versus ice cream in Golden Gaytime tubs, it’s still pretty darn special.
You see, I’ve discovered a way of getting my kids off their devices without tears, bribery or Blackmagic, allowing us to spend more time together as a family every night.
And while I would like to take all of the credit and rebrand myself as some kind of parenting wizard, props need to go to Optus Pause because they’re the real MVPs in this story.
Let me give you some background.
As the parent of one tween tottering ever closer to teenage hood, one tween with the attitude and life outlook of a 16-year-old, one pre-schooler with older, screen savvy siblings and two parents who both work online, devices are a hot topic around the dinner table.
While we have a number of screen time rules in place, our family is not immune to the joys of YouTube Kids or, for the older two, inexplicably watching other, highly excitable and usually American people play video games.
We are always working towards a better balance between ‘screen lyfe’ and ‘real life’ and ways to more actively manage our time spent online. Enter Optus Pause and its deceptively simple formula for putting family time back on the table.
Optus what?
We all love being online, but sometimes, you just need to take a break.
Some may call it a digital breather, others may call it ‘removing devices from the hands of my children so that we can have a conversation that isn’t about Minecraft and when Minecraft can be played again’.