Are you able to answer YES to any of the following questions?

1 – Do your kids zone into the tv and turn to stone as if they looked at Medusa?  

2 – When it is time to do something, anything, do your kids move at a rock’s pace when their tablet is within 5 feet?

3 – Do your children transform into hysterical hyenas when it is time to turn off Fortnite?

4 – Has your child’s cell phone become permanently attached to their hand?

Yup, so do ours… well, 1, 2, and 3 anyway.   I am certain a cell phone will embed itself into our kids’ hand once they actually have one.

So, what do we do to try to combat these inevitable behaviors?  

We have 5 rules.

RULE #1:  No screens of any kind in the morning before school (or camp in the summer).  

My kids would be truant if the television turned on in the mornings.  

RULE #2:  No screens allowed, Monday – Thursday.  

Monday – Thursday is for finishing homework, playing with the toys they begged for, getting creative inside, and playing outside.

RULE #3:  No screens at the dinner table at home, restaurants or otherwise.

Mealtime is when we converse and hear about each others’ day.  It is a time to enjoy the food in front of us.  We also use this time to teach our kids manners.  Because, despite repeating ourselves incessantly for 9 years, they forget basic table etiquette nightly.

RULE #4:  On beautiful weekend days, the kids must play outside for at least 1 hour before turning on any device.  

There is no better way to get creative, exercise, and brighten a kid’s mood than sunshine and fresh air!

RULE #5:  Only 1 screen at a time.

If my kid is watching Netflix on the television, then playing on the laptop or watching youtube on the tablet at the same time is a big no-no.  They may pick one.  If a sibling is watching television, they can choose to join them or they may excuse themselves to enjoy the screen of their choice in another room.

I understand everyone’s family dynamics are different.  Work schedules and children’s personalities definitely play a huge role in how each home is managed.  However, if you are struggling with screen time you may find one of these rules helpful.

Do you have any rules regarding screen time in your home?  Share them in the comments below.