How I Get My Kids Away From The Television

All my kids talk about getting every year for Christmas is video games if they don't go downstairs and find Gears of War 2 under our new flocked christmas tree I do not know how they will survive. It makes me a little nuts since I do all I can to get my kids outdoors. I would prefer to get them something like new football equipment or bikes, really anything they can do outside. Alas, I suppose boys will be boys. Arguing with the boys over "appropriate" lengths of time is just too much work.

That being said I've tried to find some tricks for my family and video games. With a few techniques I try to get them outside more. First off I limit their time every day to one hour (they can earn more). I find placing a limit is important because then they know that anything above that is a privilege. To be more fair I've allowed them some methods of earning more television time. That leads me to talk about trick number two. They can get more television time by either doing chores or spending time outside. The chores is nice for me and generally has a pretty good payoff for them. I set it up so it ends with one hour of chores earning one hour of television time.

The number two way they get more television time is by spending some of their time outside. When they go outside and play nice I allow them 15 minutes of gaming to every hour of outside time. Like I say this isn't a huge payoff, but I also don't really think asking them to be outside is a huge thing to ask. That option works the best of their long Saturdays where they spend the majority of the day outside anyway. They spend all day outside on Saturdays and earn themselves a couple of hours in front of the television. Realistically a night of playing games and watching movies isn't so bad after a full day outside.

Anyway I guess that I don't mind a game or two under the artificial flocked christmas tree this year if it has the effect of getting my brats outside and getting some stuff done around the house for me. I hope they like their games, because I am going to like my "gift" of a little more control around the house.