How To Raise Healthy Kids For Life (V)
Limit TV/Computer Time
One of the biggest time killers for children of all ages, and adults too, is the television, computer, and video games. Children can spend hours of their precious time parked in front of a screen. Time that could be better used playing outside, practicing their favorite activity, or even reading a book. Also, quite often this time spent in front of a screen leads to unhealthy eating habits. After all, how can you prepare a sandwich while you’re engrossed in the latest video game or social networking site? You can’t, you have to grab a quick snack and head right back to what you were doing.
A quick and easy remedy to this problem is to limit their time in front of the screen. Take the games, computers, and televisions out of their bedrooms and move them into one location, preferably the family room, where everyone has access to them. Don’t want to hear the complaints, protests, and general whining when you tell them that they cannot watch TV or get onto the computer?
Attach one of the many electronic nanny devices that control the electronics for you. It doesn’t have to be a password type device, there are debit card systems that you can purchase for a low price. One popular model gives each their own debit card that they have to use if they want to watch television. As a parent, you give the child a certain amount of time at the beginning of each week. If your child decides to use all of their time in one day, that’s all they get for the entire week.
These devices teach children to budget their television and computer time while at the same time it eliminates the responsibility from the parents. You no longer have to hear “Mom, can I watch TV?” and then hear the inevitable complaints when you say no. Now they’re in charge of when they watch TV, until their time runs out.
Of course, many children will promptly sit down and watch their entire allotment of television the moment you add time on their cards. This will result in several days of aimless wandering while they try to figure out how to fill the time. No worries, give them plenty of books and activities indoors and when the inevitable “I’m bored” pops out of their mouth – send them outside or put them to work!
Image from gettyimages
Originally posted 2009-03-31 15:44:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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