The other day Number 3 came home from school and said to me, “Mom, Brian brought his iPad to school and we were talking, and I told him I wasn’t allowed to use electronics or watch TV during the week and he looked at me and he said, HOW DO YOU SURVIVE???”
I had a similar conversation with a friend the other day.
I don’t remember exactly how we got to talking about it, but I mentioned that the kids don’t watch TV or use any devices during the week, and he said something along the lines of, “Yeah, how did you manage that?”
Well, we just told the kids they couldn’t watch TV during the week anymore.
That was back in 2014.
For almost two years now, the television and all devices have been off limits during the week.
No, it didn’t go over so well the first few weeks.
And Number 6 who LOVES any type of device spent the first few months asking Is it was the weekend yet??? about two hundred times a day.
But now it’s not even a thought.
They accept it.
In fact, after Number 3 had that conversation with his friend at school he said to me, “That would be so weird to be able to watch TV on a school night!”
Getting rid of all that stuff during the week might be the best decision we ever made for the kids.
And for us.
First of all, on the weekends when I really need a break, electronics are now effective babysitters again.
Yes. I absolutely use technology and the TV as a babysitter.
But also, our lives have been simplified.
The kids fight less over who gets to watch what show or play on what device.
They are interacting.
They are using their brains.
They are drawing and reading and coloring and building.
Sure, they are still a challenge sometimes. Or a lot of the times, depending on the day. Or hour.
They fight. They argue. They bug the sh*t out of each other on purpose.
But not half as much as they used to.
When it’s time for bed, we don’t have to do the, But this is my favorite part! battle.
And we don’t have to wait for someone to get to the next level.
We don’t have to ask the kids if they did their homework before they turned on the television because it’s not even an option.
And even better, the TV and the Kindle and the iPad and the iPod are now a treat as opposed to a necessity.
And I kinda think that’s the way it should be.
We don’t let them watch tv during the week with the exception of snow days. This year math homework is usually some online game which is generally a waste of time in my opinion. I hate that it brings the computer into our evenings and the assumption that all kids have access bothers me. Hoping for good old paper and pencil next year.
We do this too! Best parenting decision we’ve made. Now TV/iPad time is a gift and what is watched or played is something that she’s thought about all week and really wants to see or do. We also don’t have cable, so it’s easier to find a commercial free worthwhile show on Netflix or Hulu.