behavior

Kids and Electronics

My kids love their electronics. If they were given a choice it would be video games 24/7. For a parent, this is extremely irritating. Imagine a house that is topsy turvy, stuff everywhere, and four kids glued to a monitor somewhere, oblivious to the mess that surrounds them. Sound familiar?

I have tried all kinds of rules, time limits, coupons, you name it. And they all do work, as long as I am ready to monitor it and be the “electronics police”. Somedays, I just don’t want this job.

We always have had a no electronics on the weekdays policy which works well, but then the weekends turn into a techno free for all. This past weekend was extremely busy for us and I did not want to fill the few hours of down time with video games and tv. It is always so hard to pull the kids away when their time is up.

So I did something shocking – I said no to electronics for the weekend. And a funny thing happened – my kids played the old fashioned way! They made up stories, they took out the art supplies and created beautiful art projects, they read books, and generally got along with each other.

The house became even more disorganized – there were newspapers spread across the family room floor as the children glued and painted and tried not to get any on the carpet. But it was so much better than being plugged in, that I really didn’t mind.

I will definitely do this more often!

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20 Easy Chores for Kids

Now that the school year is in full swing, our days are busier than ever. Between school itself, homework, after school activities, and instrument practice, little time is left for anything else – and certainly not chores! But I need the kids to make home a priority as well. The whole family benefits when the [...]

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Sidewalk Chalk is now Graffiti

Amanda at GoodyBlog reports that sidewalk chalk designs by six year olds are considered Graffiti in Brooklyn, New York. Apparently, 6 year old Natalie Shea’s mother received a citation to remove the “graffiti” i.e. sidewalk chalk drawings from her front stoop or she will be fined $300. Let this be a lesson to sidewalk chalking [...]

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Formal Introductions and Kids

Introduction is an art, one that I am not too skilled at. Today, I was driving my oldest and youngest child to a Fourth of July picnic at child #1′s friends house. It just so happens that my child’s friend lives on the same street as an old friend of mine – someone I haven’t [...]

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How to Get a 3 Year Old to Cooperate

Here’s a shocker – my three year old doesn’t always listen to me. Usually she chooses to do her own thing when I need her to listen the most. You know, like when we are in a hurry, or in a place that requires more “grown-up” behavior. Take for instance a week ago, at my [...]

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Just wait until you have kids.

No kid wants to hear it. Every parent says it. Why? – “Because I said so.” Why did you say so? – “Because.” But why not? – “Because I said so!” But why did you say so? – “Just stop. Wait until you have kids of your own!” Yup. What goes around comes around. Yesterday [...]

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Raising Socially Responsible Kids

I know this post is late and the news is old but the Virginia Tech tragedy has been on my mind. Each victim is a life cut short and a family in pain. Yet only one question remains – Why? What could cause someone to become so deranged to commit this act of horror? As [...]