T.V. Fridays

By the middle of last year I was pretty grouchy about when the T.V. could come on. It felt like the kids would do their homework and reading-sometimes way too fast, so they could turn on their favorite shows.

It made me sad and a little frustrated that instead of being excited to play outside or build with Lego's or cozy up with a good book that they chose to sit in front of the T.V.

What happened to good old fashioned fun?

I tried to limit, but wasn't consistent. Let's face it, the T.V. keeps kids entertained and quiet. A huge plus when trying to make dinner and get the house tidied up in the afternoon. But the whole time they were vegging I felt tense. I felt like bad habits were being formed. If this was just an every so often occurrence it wouldn't have bugged me at all, but this seemed to be the groove almost everyday.

Summer was a welcome break from media. The kids still spent plenty of time losing themselves in a movie or fighting over which T.V show to watch next, but for the most part they were content to be swimming in the backyard or playing with friends. It was wonderful.

Then a couple of weeks ago school started again. And on the first day of school the kids came home and did what little homework had been assigned that day and then the T.V. came on. I got tense. I could feel that this year was going to be a repeat of last year. And I just couldn't hack it. I understand that kids need an outlet. A way to relax and not have to be busy, busy, busy all the time. But it bothered me that the way they wanted to do that everyday was through media sources. So, that night I talked with Matt about it. He agreed that some changes could be made. I told him my idea and he gave his blessing. We decided that we would create  "T.V. Fridays". This means that Monday-Thursday the kids have to come home from school, eat a snack, get their homework done, finish any chores they have and then find creative ways to relax. Then on Fridays, if they have worked hard and gotten their homework and chores done during the week they can watch T.V.

The kids have been very receptive to it! It's so nice not to have the television blaring every afternoon. The house feels more peaceful. The kids are taking the time to focus in a little more on their homework and are having fun finding ways to keep themselves entertained. Reading and playing outside actually happen without complaint because watching the tube is not an option.

T.V. Fridays have been a very good thing!