dadofsix

Just recently, I made a schedule for my 3 younger boys (9,7, & 5) for their computer and Gameboy usage (the 5 year old doesn't use a Gameboy). With one family computer it was getting a bit hectic having everyone using the computer the same day. Arguments would ensue about who got to use it first, etc. My 9 year old was getting way too wrapped up in his Gameboy (Animal Crossing specifically) and becoming frustrated. I decided a schedule was needed. I warned the boys in advance that I was going to make one. Prior to the schedule, the 7 and 9 year old used the computer for 30 minutes a day. However we had never set a time limit for their gameboys so they'd play them for hours. I grew tired of watching them zone out.

With the help of the 9 year old, I created a schedule. He and the 7 year old alternate weekday usage of the computer and gameboy. This way they are not both using the computer on the same day. It also means they don't get to use both the computer and their gameboy on the same day. I gave them a limit of 45 minutes per day. The 5 year old went from using the computer every weekday for 20 minutes to only twice a week for 25 minutes. Saturday is a "free day" for the older 2 boys. They get 1 hour to use as they wish. The year 5 old gets 35 minutes of computer time. Sunday is a "no electronics" day for all of them (although occasionally I will give them some extra time).

I typed up a calendar and we posted the schedule. Much to my surprise, there has been very little complaints about their new routine. The 9 year old is not as wrapped up in Animal Crossing and the 7 year old frequently cuts his computer time short and doesn't play his gameboy much at all. I really expected them to be unhappy with the new schedule but it has worked wonderfully. I also see them playing together more and being more creative with their play.

How much is too much for your child is your call, but in our family, a set schedule has worked out better than I ever imagined.

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-Scott (Dad to Daniel, Devin, Dylan, Harper, Harris, & Henson)


"The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn from more than what you tell them. They don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are." --Jim Henson

Mindy

Ummm, probably just the Atari

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"Someday, maybe, there will exist a well-informed, well considered and yet fervent public conviction that the most deadly of all possible sins is the mutilation of a child’s spirit.”

Dr. Erik Erikson