How I Get My Boys Away From The Television
All my kids talk about getting every year for Christmas is video games if they don’t go downstairs and find Gears of War 2 under our new artificial flocked christmas tree I do not know how they will survive. It makes me a little nuts since I do all I can to get my kids outdoors. I would prefer to get them something like new football equipment or bikes, really anything they can do outside. Alas, I suppose boys will be boys. Arguing with the boys over “appropriate” lengths of time is just too much work.
That being said I’ve tried to find some tricks for my family and video games. I do a couple of things in an effort to force them outside. The first way I try to accomplish my goal is by limiting time that can be spent in front of them television to only one hour per day. I find placing a limit is important because then they know that anything above that is a privilege. I do give them some ways to earn more time in front of the television. That leads me into my second trick. They have a few options to earn more television time, either playing outside or doing some chores for me. The chores is nice for me and generally has a pretty good payoff for them. I set it up so it ends with one hour of chores earning one hour of television time.
The number two way they get more television time is by spending some of their time outside. When they go outside and play nice I allow them 15 minutes of gaming to every hour of outside time. I know that it isn’t a huge payoff for the boys, but they like being outside and I do not think it’s a lot for me to ask of them. That option works the best of their long Saturdays where they spend the majority of the day outside anyway. They can play outdoors for the day on Saturday and then spend the night playing video games. Realistically a night of playing games and watching movies isn’t so bad after a full day outside.
That being said I’m ok with one or two ending up under flocked Christmas tree this year , that is if it allows for the positives of getting the boys outside and making them a little more obedient. I hope they like their games, because I am going to like my “gift” of a little more control around the house.