This is such a double edged sword. On the one hand who doesn’t want to sleep in an extra hour on the weekends? Make dinner? Or God forbid shower in peace? On the flip side these electronics turn my otherwise adorable children into venom spewing trolls.
In our house during school time we have pretty strict electronic rules. No devices Monday-Friday, except for TV while I make dinner or am trying to get dressed. On the weekends we allow 1 hour of iPad and 1 hour of Xbox time a day (which lets be honest, never happens). I’ve starting using the kitchen timer to monitor their useage though.
And this weekend was ROUGH! I mean, I love my kids. They are my world. My everything. That said some times they make me mental. We had a pretty low key weekend with a lot of time at home. My husband and I didn’t feel well so keeping the kids happy and entertained was exhausting. This was the perfect weekend to throw the ipads and Xbox at them. But they get so mean, and as of this morning, the ipads and xbox controls are hidden, aaaaaand it is board game city until further notice.
The other issue is they are off all next week for Thanksgiving break, and I have work to do and Thanksgiving for 30 to prepare for, so who is really being punished here. I hate to say that but it’s true.
Even on our recent vacation to San Francisco, my youngest wanted nothing but to sit in the hotel room and play on his iPad. Then again, when you are trying to enjoy a meal, and the kids are finished, it is so easy to slip them your phone while you get a moment to enjoy your food.
I know I am not the only mom out there who deals with this. The real question is at what point do you risk your sanity to teach them a lesson? Or when is it ok to let them turn their brains to mush on the Xbox?
Ugh. Our kids live pretty scheduled lives with soccer, karate, baseball, or swim after school, and they definitely need down time. The thing is they get so cranky when they have too much screen time.
What are your best tips for eliminating/ managing screen time with the kiddos?
Until next time,
Betsy
Unstuck
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