The After-Show Monster

The battle against the electronic world is real. It is real for adults, but it is especially real for children. TV shows, movies, music, games, there are so many options for kids to drain hours of their day on an electronic device. Now, even schoolwork or homework is the reason. Children live in a digital world, and this cannot be good or healthy. 

What did kids do all day a hundred years ago? How did we reach a point where we feel as if electronics are vital to our daily happiness and routine? I know as a mother that sometimes all you need is an uninterrupted twenty minutes to finish dinner or laundry. Because we live in a society where we do not have the help of other women, i.e., sisters, mothers, grandmothers, the iPad, as a babysitter, is sometimes all we feel that we have.

I get it. I am a mom of 5 kids all under the age of 7. My husband works long hours and the feeling of being a "single parent" is not unknown to me. Early on in motherhood, I would justify letting my toddler watch a show because it was "educational”. But, no matter what, as soon as I turned it off, I would have to deal with a twenty-minute mood reset. I accepted this, however, even as frustrating as it is to deal with fussy children. As time went on, and I knew they would be fussy as soon as I turned off their show, I began to let them watch a little longer... You can see where this goes. 

Eventually, my husband and I had a talk. It was one of those talks where you evaluate life, routines and kids and declare that you want what is best for your family and will do whatever it takes to get there. For us, electronic use had to go. In our minds, it is just not the best for child development, and it causes more problems than it solves. It took a little time for us to break the habit. But, once we did, it was truly life-changing, and here is what we found. 

1. Our kids began to spend a lot more time playing independently, which also gave me more time to get my chores done.

2. Once I allowed for boredom in their life, they became more creative, and began to inquire about the world in a way they hadn't before.

3. Without electronics, they will now sit for twenty minutes or more with a pile of books (this even goes for my 18-month-old)!

   
   

Electronics are not completely out of our life. Firstly, I use the Prodigies Music Program, which I love, and you need a TV or iPad for that. So, my children will do their daily music lessons on the iPad. Every Saturday night is family night. Sometimes, we will watch a movie together. This has become a fun, family tradition! It is something that we look forward to and plan for. You would be surprised how the anticipation of a rare treat makes the treat sweeter! 

Other than an occasional nature or science video to teach my children something as a part of our school curriculum, they are not on electronics. I am so grateful for the switch we made. Although it can be a little difficult to break habits and build new ones, this change regarding electronics has been well worth it. And let me tell you one last thing: I will never go back.