screen time

Not surprisingly, Avery screen addiction has grown as he has gotten older. It came to a point where I knew we had to do something to add structure to our system when I told him to stop playing his leappad and when he did, he went over to my computer to stare at the screen saver. In reality, our kids spend very little time watching tv or playing on various electronic devices, but Scott and I figured it was better to establish some guidelines before Avery got any older.


So, we have decided to allot Avery 1 hour of screen time each day. This includes computer, iphone, leap pad and tv. Even though 1 hour still seems like a lot and guarantees screen time each day, when before he would go days without a show or several days between playing on an iphone, I think there are valuable lessons to be learned. He's learning how to ration his screen time, and even though I don't like that it's the first thing he asks for in the morning, it's for 15 minutes, and truthfully, he's only been using 45 minutes a day. It's only a matter of time before he realizes three 15 minute increments do not equal one hour. 


Interestingly, he consistently chooses pbskids.org above anything else, Scott's iphone comes in second (Angry Birds). He has yet to choose a show. I like that we are putting the control in his hands even though I'm tempted to revise our limits to half an hour on a weekday and one hour on the weekend, maybe when school starts. 


All in all, this program is working out nicely. His behavior has been top notch because one gentle threat to take away screen time is usually enough to whip him into shape. He is also learning how to play the game. I usually get those big doe eyes staring up at me with a, "Mommy, I love you much...can I have something with a screen?" and I truly appreciate the effort. Learning to work the system is valuable and worthwhile skill to learn as a kid and I'm happy to let him think he knows how to do it.