The purpose of National TV Turn-Off Week is to raise family awareness of the role that television plays in our lives. It is not intended to attack television but to help us think about how much time (in the average family) is actually spent in watching programs rather than participating in other activities.
Try reading, playing board games, playing a sport in the backyard (easy to do now that spring has sprung!), drawing with sidewalk chalk in your driveway, doing art projects (my youngest is into sand art these days). My oldest will most likely IM her friends rather than watch tv and knowing her, she will watch American Idol from their website. BUT....even computers should be turned off from time to time to encourage more physical activity. And we do establish rules in our family regarding our 3 computers. No computers are turned on before noon on Sundays (easy to accomplish as we attend church at 11). We encourage reading the comics, reading their devotionals, completing SS homework (the youngest), reading novels, etc. as part of our Sunday a.m. routine. I try to fix a special breakfast for everyone as well, on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Keeping the tv off will be harder for my husband and I than for our daughters! (we do like those Law and Order shows and of course my husband, being a science fiction addict, loves Heroes!!)
One thing you might want to try, that our elementary school is encouraging, is keeping track of which days the tv did NOT come on and writing down what you or your child(ren) did instead. My 8 year old has signed a "contract" with the classroom teacher and will fill out a chart regarding what she did rather than watch tv. Like I said, this will be easy during the school nites....it is the weekend that is tough! But..spring is here and outdoor activities await...like....HIKING!
My children groan when hiking season gets here as we do this as a family for the most part. And on those days I don't even watch the news! BUT.....secretly I think they really are glad they are out in nature, once we get going. The intrinsic value is just as important as the physical exercise! If you would like more ideas on what to do during TV Turn-Off Week simply go to the link I have provided under the name of tv turn-off. Have fun!!
One thing you might want to try, that our elementary school is encouraging, is keeping track of which days the tv did NOT come on and writing down what you or your child(ren) did instead. My 8 year old has signed a "contract" with the classroom teacher and will fill out a chart regarding what she did rather than watch tv. Like I said, this will be easy during the school nites....it is the weekend that is tough! But..spring is here and outdoor activities await...like....HIKING!
4 comments:
This is a great idea!!!!! Just afriad my kids will be really mad; they run me sometimes unstead of the other way around. How do you balance wanting to be your child's friend but parent at the same time??
I don't give my children a choice! If I say no tv, it simply doesn't go on but I do offer alternatives. It is actually easy for us as we don't have cable and I established the rule of no tv on school nites once they started Kindergarten. Keep the rules simple and basic and start out slow with easy expectations. We really can't be our child(ren)'s "friend". That is what THEIR own friends are for but I think I know what you mean. We need to parent firmly but kindly and in love. We need to give choices within boundaries. I will be writing more on this topic I think!
Oh, I wish you would write on this topic. My daughter is 15 and seems to despise me currently. What happened to my little sweetheart who looked at me like I was Wonder Woman? Sigh.......I want to be her "pal", but at the same time, she simply isn't old enough to make wise decisions all the time. I want to be the hip, cool mom, but instead I feel like the big dork. She seems to like all of her friends' moms more than me right now! Any advice? Thanks, Dori
Dori: well my oldest is only 13 and is starting to exhibit some of what you are describing your 15 yr. old to be. It is so hard. I miss the little girl days too but I do know from my graduate work in child psych that all teens go through this. If they don't when they are teens they certainly will when they leave the home and go off to college! It is a normal part of growing up. They prefer other adults to us sometimes. It is important to make sure they have other adult people they can turn to and whom we as parents trust. For our house we really trust our youth leaders at our church and a couple of the moms we have met and gotten to know. I get along with my oldest but she does like to remind me that I am not hip sometimes. This is normal!!!! This too shall pass! Just keep staying in her life, listen to her, give her space when needed. Also remember their hormones are raging! I plan on writing more on this! God bless you!
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