How to control TV/video consumption without a fight?

Problems with Executive Functioning; boys love video games and the more they get the more they want. It is one of the hazards of post Christmas when they have more idle time than normal.

I think once things settle down back into the school routine then the interest in video games will subside because they will have to do their school work.

Perhaps having a electronic timer on the TV or video game where it is on for so long and then it shuts off and can’t be turned back on until the next day would suffice, but I can almost guarantee that most video crazy boys would get mad with that suggestion.

Allowing it only at certain times can work but that too often needs an adult to monitor. Left entirely on their own many kids drift into more watching than they’re allowed. I do the same thing sometimes - I tell myself I’ll take a break and watch tv for a few minutes but inertia keeps me sitting and I go on watching….

TV can be mesmerizing - it’s not easy to monitor yourself. Tell them they may watch or play video games between 7:30 and 9:00 at night only or something like that. Or 4:00 to 5:00 for a break after school. Whatever works best for your family’s schedule. And be certain to tell them why - children need to know reasons if we want them to buy into and heed the decisions we make for them. Tell them you don’t want them to wake up one day and realize they haven’t done anything with their lives but watch tv. Be sure to provide them with other things to do in or around the house. Have books they haven’t read, subscribe to some of the children’s magazines, have toys they like, legos etc. to build with… Encourage them to play outside with soccer balls or basketballs and a hoop in the driveway.

Good luck.

You’ve described the problem to a T! maybe set times of day will work, but I’d hate for them to stop an otherwise fun activity just because its 4 and tv is now allowed! but the other ways haven’t been working so I’ll give it a shot. thanks!

We allow unlimited tv time in the am before the bus comes(6:30-7:05am) for cartoons; it is self-limiting because they have to take the bus. Both boys(5th and 7th) have too much homework, music lessons, etc to watch after school and we don’t allow watching in the evening(nothing on for them); we don’t limit tv or video-games on the weekends as long as their homework, and those dreaded long-term projects are getting done.

My LD 7th grader has not suffered under these rules; he takes longer for his homework(which has been timeconsumig since 4th grade), so has less time during the week for tv, etc.

I would not let them monitor their own time, rather assign blocks for tv and blocks when it is forbidden. Boys use electronic games for socializing, esp. during periods of bad weather, and I wouldn’t end this on the weekends.

Karen,
Although my LD son doesn’t have any problems turning off the TV or PS2 games (now is that weird or what? He doesn’t “like” TV that much), I do have a problem with my non-LD teenage daughter who wants to spend waaay too much time chatting with friends or watching TV and is very arguementative about it.

Because she’s excellent at arguing, the way I handle it is I try to keep her very busy. I enroll her in plenty of classes and also I insist that if any grades fall below a certain level she’ll lose these privileges. So far this does seem to help.

Karen,

My kids are all downstairs taking turns with their cousins playing some skate boarding game so I am not one to ask!!

But, during the school year we don’t allow video games during the week. On the weekends I don’t have very strict rules about it. We have one TV in the house and it is in the family room in a pretty open floor plan. It goes off when I am sick of it and I am not very tolerant! If they fight, that is it.

TV is more of a problem for my 13 year old. I let her watch an hour after school and no more until her homework is done. My boys will some times watch too but aren’t as attracted to it as she is. On the weekends, she has to compete with the video games!!

Beth

Thanks for all the advice.

I’ve been polling my friends here too, and the world seems to divide into families that allow some TV within limited time periods each day, and some that allow none during the week, but unlimited on the weekend. I bet the total works out to be similar by week’s end.

I’ve concluded that if all of you think a 9 year old can’t monitor himself than he probably can’t !

I’ve always allowed some during the week b/c my poor DS has always needed some downtime after school, tutoring, vision therapy, whatever. and its not like reading a book is relaxing for him. But weekday TV is easy to manage b/c its limited by dinner time, homework etc.

If we come up with something spectacular that works I’ll let you all know.

Happy New Year!

When my children were younger (preschool and elementary grades), we used poker chips to limit tv viewing/computer gaming (which we basically lumped into the same category). Each of my boys were given 20 poker chips each week. Each chip was good for 1/2 hour of viewing, and if both boys were watching, they both had to pay. Because they’re close in age and have always hung out together, they did a terrific job of monitoring each other. They told whenever their brother didn’t pay, so it made monitoring pretty easy!

Unfortunately, now that they’re teenagers, they’re more likely to cover up for each other than to tell on each other, so we’ve had to modify our approach and give them more freedom to make choices and mistakes, but poker chips were terrific for a while!