My guess is that many readers of Before Our Time will remember a childhood where the radio (or 'the wireless') was the darnedest fanciest piece of electronic equipment in the family home. If you had a television it was probably the smallest, not the biggest piece of furniture in your living room; you may have heard of computers but the nearest one was at the University and gaming meant pulling out the Scrabble board on a wet Saturday afternoon.
Today, if you are an average Australian family, it is likely that you have three or more televisions, three or more mobile phones, at least one computer linked to broadband Internet and your 8-17yo probably spends 1.25 hours each day on electronic gaming. If you have teenagers it is likely that you have more than one computer and the second and subsequent computers are in your teenagers' bedrooms.*
Connectedness is a wonderful thing. I love the worlds available to my children through the Internet and it certainly makes school projects a lot easier and I really don't mind my children watching the occasional television show or playing the occasional electronic game to relax or 'zone out'. But this school holidays I began to wonder - could my children amuse themselves without all the electronic clutter? I don't mean replace electronic amusement with expensive trips to the zoo/show/pool/insert activity here, I mean could they potter around and play?
Four years ago we banned tv and electronic games on school days. We simply have no time in the mornings for tv and the afternoons are so packed with sport and homework that it really hasn't been missed. But come school holidays the kids are glued.
Last week I'd had enough. The kids didn't want to eat at the dining table because they'd miss their favourite tv show (one of their 250 fav shows), they weren't interested in outside play and worst of all they would often end up watching one.television.each leaving me with nowhere in the house to go.
Crazy land.
So I proposed a challenge. If the children go without tv, electronic games and computer activities of any kind from dawn Sunday to dawn the following Saturday I would give them a reward. They discussed this amongst themselves for two days, we negotiated a satisfactory reward and we are now in the midst of the challenge. Remember, we are on school holidays.
How are they going? Can they play without being entertained by the Pixel Nanny? Should Pixel Nanny be worried about her job security? I'll let you know next week.
Meanwhile catch up with daily snippets on how we are going via our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/beforeourtime.
13 comments:
I think the kids could survive a week without them, but us adults would go nuts rather quickly.
Crap. I love the pixel nanny. I can't mop without her. My two are more "connected" than I'd like. We are discussing options for the long, lazy summer days that get them out and moving more, instead of parked in front of the TV.
But yes. This is a great idea. I'm interested to see the results. Did I correctly note that YOU will not be going e-free? I hope not!
Having gone from being brought up with one radio and no television till I was 16 and then only 1 channel to 5 televisions and recording equipment, 3 computers, 6 telephones+mobile, several sound systems and several radios (yes, right now, all together, at the one time and for only 2 of us in a tiny house), I found that, on our Arctic expeditions, lack of it all really recharged my batteries as no-one could get to me for anything and I didn't have to think what was going on in the rest of the world. However, when we have a power-cut, which we do quite frequently here by comparison, I feel really lost and cut-off and enormous relief and relaxation when the power is restored. I also feel like that when it's my week between knittings. It's just what you're used to so I can understand children used to electronics feeling bereft without. I think that as long as there's plenty of music, books, physical activity, socialising etc, as well they'll be alright.
What a brave woman you are, I would crack from all the whingeing in a matter of hours. My kids are not supposed to use MSN or watch TV Mon-Thurs until 8.00 but policing it is a nightmare. I'll be interested to see how it goes, are they teenagers?
Greenfumb: good question about my childrens' ages. They are 9 and 11 - tweenagers you might say. Just the right point to educate about the benefits of time away from the box and still within my power to influence. Teenagers would probably just tell me to get lost.
What is the reward? Something electronic?
Sometimes I find myself thinking I should tell the kids a show they like is on telly and then I see them outside just playing and I stop myself. The ability to amuse oneself without props is a good one to develop.
A fantastic idea.
We got rid of our free to air television several months ago and the children don't miss it at all. We don't have pay tv either. They can watch a DVD and play on computers still but they don't do that anywhere near as often.
I found the TV was so easy to turn on and just start watching. Getting the DVD player and computer going takes more effort and they usually get distracted by their toys in the meantime.
Wishing you great success with your E-Free Week.
An E-free week! Just invite a 99year old matriarch to stay. No tolerance to radio, tv or any modern electronic equipment!!
A binge coming up!! Sorry Auntie Four Letter!!
My daughter is one of these people that has the TV on while she is on the computer, listening to music coming out of her bedroom. I wander what she'd miss most?
Right now you know what I'm doing, other half is working on photographs on the computer, with an eye on the "fitba'" on television as well and appendage is "coding" (whatever that is). But, "mof", don't think you're going to be indulging in all that electronic equipment I listed when you're here in May – WE're going to be out and about – hopefully. If the weather is awful, I may have to eat my words and be glad of it to fall back on. Let's hope not.
I think its wonderful what you've done and would love to do it our household too.
Our eldest (8yo boy) is seriously obsessed about Playstation. It is is first choice every time and would spend every waking hour on it if we let him.
It makes for an easy punishment, i.e. no Playstation, which of course he gets upset about, but then he does find ways to amuse himself during those no PS times.
We have had to seriously limit his access to all things electronic. I all but send them outside lock the doors just to get them to do something a bit more active.
Are you kidding me? You would reward em? I make my kids go a month without electronics of any kind once every six months and don't reward them.
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