As I've mentioned before, my kids want to watch too much TV and play too many video games. They've gotten really bad lately and wanted to do pretty much nothing else if we were home. I finally put my foot down today and made a schedule stating at what times the TV and computers can be on. I hung it up on the wall. Youngest has been complaining some because he's been the worst. The new schedule seems rather overly generous to me, but it seems tough to them. I had tried all kinds of other methods, trying to get them to just do a couple of hours a day, just telling them to turn it off about 3 times a day, etc. I even bought one of those TV timers but my husband didn't hook it up for me and I didn't feel like trying to move the giant TV.
Anyway, since none of my previous efforts worked and trying to get them to limit themselves didn't work, I needed something that would be very easy to keep up with and, even if I'm working, I can hear the TV come on and I can check to see if it is an approved time. Today, they could watch before noon, but nothing after that. Consequently, they've played outside, had a contest/tournament, made up superheroes and named them, played board games, read books and all kinds of things like that. Hopefully, we'll all be able to stick with this one, because it puts limits on the machines, and they are all the same hours and I won't have to try and keep up with all the kids different limits and schedules, and there is no arguing or trying to get more time.
If I can only withstand the whining ... daughter just realized she can't get her email until tomorrow morning!
6 comments:
Let me know how this works out for you. So far, I'm not having too much trouble in that dept.....mine are either down at the pond fishing or the older two are in a MAJOR reading competition now that school's out. They are both reading Harry Potter & are both on the same book & DS is just a tiny bit ahead of DD & it's killing her. She wants to finish reading it BEFORE him SOOOOOOO badly! They figure they will both finish by tomorrow & MUST go to the library on Monday to get the last book. Hey, this is the DD who wouldn't read anything for ages when she was younger. The reading bug has also bitten my 13 yr. old.....who hasn't been much into reading for enjoyment yet either.....but he flew thru the first HP book & is going to town on the second one now. Anyways.....sorry to ramble on like that. I'll shut up now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm going to have to try something like that. My middling wakes up asking to play Gameboy...drives me nuts! Hope it goes well for you.
Have they read HP before? I love the series. My oldest son and I have read them all at least 3 times.
I hope this system works too!
Don't worry about rambling on. I enjoy reading it.
I like the hours idea. Very creative. Don't you love all the things they come up with when they are "bored." I'm trying to instill in Violet a love of boredom!
First, let me say that my kids hated this idea, but it really worked.
Each week I gave them 12 poker chips. Every time they watched tv or played video games for 1/2 hour they had to give me a token. If on Wednesday, they were all gone, no tv, no game systems, no computer(except school and yes, I looked over their shoulders the whole time.)
If by chance on allowance day they had any chips let over, I gave them $1.00 for each chip.
At first, they had none let over. When it finally made sense that they could get more $$$, the tv and game systems were off all the time.
I finally had to stop because they were bankrupting me!!!
Dylan loves to build with Lego's and read....he kept himself quite busy.
I hope this can help someone out. It worked for us. They still talk about "hating" the chips!!
Bunny
Bunny, if this idea doesn't work, I might steal yours!
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