This book was the culmination of many years of clinical work, research and cultural insights. None of which happened in a vacuum. Throughout the process, I had the love and wisdom of my wonderful wife, Luz, an elementary schoolteacher who was not only an invaluable resource on this topic but my constant supporter, friend and inspiration.
I began to realize how important this topic was, first as a result of my clinical work with kids, then in my role as a father to two young, amazing boys, Ari and Alexi. I can’t say that I’m always a perfect parent, but I have tried my best to teach them the important things in life: love, a sense of awe about the world, compassion for others and a sense of self-reliance. I have also tried my best to let them know that kids with glowing faces tend to lose some of those things.
My son came into my office late one night as I was in front of my computer working on the book and asked me what I was writing about. “I’m writing about how glowing screens can be bad for you.” He then wisely said: “Then why are you in front of one writing your book?”
The irony was not lost on me.
But writing this book has felt, I admit, like a very important mission. I feel that it’s critical to get all of the important information and research out there so that we can at least stem the tide of the Glow Kids epidemic.
I am grateful to my literary agent, Adam Chromy, who saw the vision for this book and helped me to shape it in a way that my editor, Karen Wolny, found compelling. Karen “got it” from our first call together, and I’m honored to work with such a great team. I also need to thank my parents; although not a Glow Kid, I wasn’t the easiest son in the world. Their resilient and unconditional love has profoundly shaped who I am. Finally, a sincere thanks to everyone who is not mentioned here but who also helped me along the way to fight the good fight. Thank you all.