Don't misunderstand me. I have nothing against technology and in fact use it myself ALL the time, but as parents we have resisted increasing the access to screen time for the younger family members. On the other hand we don't feel that banning it altogether is the answer as our children will have to be able to use this technology. We need to find a balance!
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We now have the unenviable parenting task of trying to find the balance between using technology for entertainment and making our own entertainment! Some of our little family are becoming consumed by certain games and functions at the expense of common manners and kind words...Hmmm!
An idea is being floated at the moment to have a system of i-minutes being earned for certain chores which can then be used to play on Ernie. Make you bed and earn 5 minutes screen time. This has potential but I guess time will tell. Failure to use manners and respond to polite parent directives will mean Ernie goes on holiday! *sigh* What happened to cricket in the street and cubby houses with the neighbourhood children? We will find the balance....I hope
Do you have these issues at your house? Have you come up with a solution? Please share if you have found a balance that works for you.
I am linking up with One Mother Hen's Open Slather Monday
Have a great week
Kate x
Chores and good behaviour sound like perfect ways to gain i-minutes. Good luck with finding a balance. You could always make some outside chores so they are getting time outside too. Have fun with your new 'toy' ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is a good idea Alicia! Thanks for calling in.
ReplyDeleteThis is all before me! Haha, what joy! I am finding that the inherent difficulty in parenting is the making of hard decisions. I tell myself all the time that it's a process, not a prescription and that so long as I am actively trying to problem solve I'm doing the best I can. Meanwhile, Anouk my youngest, has taken to pulling on me and telling me 'Your 'puter's broken for a minute, Mummy. Just for a minute, okay?' so I think I've been spending too much time on here too! Good luck with the i-minutes, you'll have to let us know how you go!
ReplyDeletethere are always lots of hard decisions aren't there. I guess that's what it's all about, along with the magic!
DeleteA thoughtful, honest post Kate! I just don't know about this either. We have time limits but since my people are a bit younger than your people (& perhaps a little less street wise?)sometimes half-an-hour is shorter and sometimes it is longer depending on behavior and whatever else is happening! Mmmm...keep us posted :)
ReplyDeleteYes Jane, I sometimes wish there were not so many daily influences other than ours but that is our challenge as distance is yours :)
DeleteLuckily we only have a 7 month old, but i dread having to handle this in the future!
ReplyDeleteI love the name of your ipad by the way!! too cool
Thanks and thank you for callling in.
DeleteThat is such a good idea. I guess it may have to vary with age too?
ReplyDeleteYes, we are still working out the best way to make it fair and allow for the age difference in our house!
DeleteOur main rule is no screen time before school. He can watch some TV in the afternoons, but then it's off from dinner on (usually). It's really hard. Really need to practice what we preach as we are always looking at our phones and computers. It's a tough one!
ReplyDeleteI find the practice bit harder than the preaching too sometimes.
DeleteGreat idea! Trying to some form of control and balance on the use of internet / PCs / iphones etc is surely one of the hardest challenges of modern parenting. I don't know if we ever got it right though we did try ... our kids are now 18 & 16.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure our children will be alright whatever we do as long as we can ultimately live with it :) Thanks for visiting.
DeleteWe have the same issues and I have come to the conclusion there is no solution especially once they hit teenage years.
ReplyDeleteI can see that now will be the easiest time to have any control so I will make the most of it!
DeleteEvery generation comes with challenges for the parents ! I can well remember not allowing any viewing of Dr. Who at 6pm until all story writing, or maths or whatever was complete...the ultimate bribe for one young correspondent student, and it worked a treat. I am sure he's not too scared by it all either, but it is fun now, as Mum, to see him limiting TV viewing to his young. Nothing really ever changes in the challenge department. He may not bribe, but given time I bet he will!
ReplyDeleteI am soglad I was able to find this post again!! I gave in recently and downloaded some apps onto my partners ipad and thanks to you my nearly 4 year old is earning minutes to play!! Although it makes it hard with a 2 year old always wanting a turn!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with it Ann :) I am glad you found me again too. Thanks for visiting
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