I, personally, consider the term "moderation" to be a concept that applies over a length of time--so while some things I feel are not appropriate for my children under the age of 2-years-old (or whatever age) they might enjoy later. For me it's about boundaries. I consider it over the longer span of time I will be raising them so the statements do not conflict. So for me some things are "in moderation" which means at this point it's not okay but later, maybe. It's not a complete "ban" forever and ever amen. This is how we define a "moderate" view in our family. It's more of a far-looking, long-term approach, I think.
Your definition of moderation does not match the accepted definitions.
You are certainly not alone in your views but to call it moderation is a fallacy. You've chosen to ban something for a period of time and once that time has passed you will relax your rules.
You are the type of parent that bans things whether it be screen time, certain foods, certain shows(by your own admission).
I'm suspecting that your parenting style will continue into the later years with dating, sex, drugs, music, alcohol and other such challenges and you will be banning them until some arbitrary age.
I think it's important for me to identify when I think things are appropriate and when they're not. Just as I think it's not appropriate for my children to be drinking any soda at this age or watching violent cartoons I don't think it's appropriate for my children to be having screen time before they're 2-years-old and then after that it is extremely limited.
We are in agreement on the first part, however as soon as you put that "2 years old" in there which is an arbitrary and baseless number we diverge.
I'm trying to establish certain habits in my children's lives at a very young age (before they're 5-years-old especially). So, while there may not be actual "harm" to my children by having frequent "screen time" at these ages, it goes against what I'm trying to accomplish--the principles and habits I'm trying to establish in them.
I think decent parents everywhere try to instill good habits in their children's lives. You have chosen a time based strict approach.
Using drinking soda as an example, I don't allow my son to drink it at all and for this reason he has no real craving for it. He also doesn't prefer juice because we rarely drink this at home. So, if he's at a party and offered soda or juice he will often ask for water instead out of his own preference. He can't really "desire" what he isn't accustomed to having.
*smile* Surely you've heard of the forbidden fruit.
We dont have any bans in our house. We discourage certain things (processed foods, juices, etc) and have alternatives around the house. In the same direction, my kids have all tasted alcohol form a very young age (they all hate it), they have their own knives, they have all touched and played with a gun and have a healthy respect and have been educated in things.
I think this habit is a great start for him. Does that mean he won't have more freedom to choose these drinks later on? No. Does it mean that a sip of soda here and there is going to cause him to immediately have bad health? No. But, at the point when he starts to make those decisions for himself, my hope is that he'll already have a healthy habit established that will serve him well. Same thing with screen time. Just as I pointed out above--I prefer my children to see TV and computer time as a "treat" and something we do once-in-awhile--not the dependable go-to or mainstay of what we turn to when we're bored.
You can achieve your goals without banning and without the arbitrary age restrictions that a lot of people (and governments) choose to employ.
You can choose what you like and you can decide when its age appropriate, but surely nothing magical happens on the 2nd birthday just as nothing magical happens to someone on 19th or 21st birthday to make them ready for alcohol.
