Get off the Couch!

Isn’t it amazing that our homes are centered around the kitchen and family room? A place where we eat and a place where we sit and “relax” maybe after we eat or while we eat. Pablo and I gave up our cable early this year and have supplemented by watching more documentaries and Showtime series such as Weeds, Dexter, The Tudors.  While I can say we’ve certainly learned more about everything from Food to Fuel, now that we’re going to be in a new neighborhood, I’d like to kick up our exercise routine. This will ultimately eat into our viewing time, but the fresh air is going to be much more rewarding.

Knowing that we don’t want Little Man to watch the tube until he’s as close as possible to 3 years old, we’re going to have to modify our habits so that we can help him create good habits regarding the television and computer.  Although we likely watch less because it’s only internet, I still think we watch too much and with the upcoming fall and our new home, it’s my goal to walk more and spend some time digging in the dirt.

But try as we may, I know we’re going to watch the tele and if so, imposing a few rules and regs never hurts. I love Becoming Minimalist’s list below:

To help inspire parents, here are 12 Tips to Help Limit Your Child’s Screen Time.

1. Set the Example. Sorry to start with the toughest one, but there is nowhere else to start. Children will always gravitate toward the modeled behaviors of their parents. If they see you reading a book, they are more likely to read. And if they see you watching television, so will they.
2. Be the Parent. It is your job to encourage healthy behaviors and limit unhealthy ones – sometimes this means making unpopular decisions. Make these tough decisions for your children. And always go the next step of explaining why you have made the decision – this will help them follow through and someday choose it for themselves.
3. Set Limited Viewing Times. If you are not going to turn off the television completely, choose the appropriate television viewing windows for your kids. It is much easier to limit their viewing habit if they understand that they can only watch one show in the morning and one show after school (as just an example).
4. Encourage Other Activities. And provide the necessary resources (books to read, board games, art supplies, and/or sporting equipment).
5. Play with Your Kids. Get down on the floor with your kids and pick up a doll, truck, or ball. It takes intentionality and selfless love when they are 6. But when they turn 13, you’ll be glad you did.
6. Be Involved in Their Lives. For many parents, it is just easier to turn on the television than to actually be involved in the lives of their children. But those intimate life details are required for successful parenting. So observe, listen, ask, and parent.
7. Cut your Cable / Remove Your Television Completely. If you want a sure-fire way to limit your child’s television viewing habits, cut your cable/satellite television feed (or remove your television completely). It will change your family’s life overnight (it changed ours). Oh, by the way, it will positively impact your checkbook too.
8. Observe Your Child’s Behavioral Changes. Television has an immediate impact on your child’s behavior. After too much television/video games, my children get irritable, aggressive, selfish, and impatient. I can tell almost the moment I walk in the door. Be on the look-out for these behavioral changes. When you start to notice them yourself, you’ll be less inclined to put your kids in front of the screen.
9. Don’t Worry if They Miss Out on Parts of the Conversation. Your child’s friend will talk about television. They will compare notes about cartoons, Nickelodeon, or prime-time programming. You will think that you are depriving your child of friendships because they can not join in on those parts of the conversation (I’m speaking from experience). But don’t worry. You will have successfully prepared to your child to enter into far deeper, richer conversations than the most recent Hannah Montana episode.
10. Value Family Meals and Car Rides. About two-thirds (64%) of young people say the TV is usually on during meals. That’s too bad because your family’s richest conversations will always take place during meals and in the car. Value those times with you kids. Don’t let the TV steal them from you.
11. No TV’s in Bedrooms. Not your kids’ rooms. And not yours either.
12. Find your mantra. A mantra is a sound, word, or group of words that are considered capable of creating transformation. While the words may not be magic in themselves, the consistent use of them can be. Every parent should have them and use them effectively. My “too-much television” mantra goes like this, “There’s been too much screen time in this family.” And every time my kids hear me say it, they know what it means… they know we are about to spend some quality time together.