Sometimes I'm Lazy

Kids climbing the wall

I will be the first to admit that sometimes I am lazy.  I don't want to deal with whiny children so I let them play on the computer or watch movies on Netflix.  I don't want to take the time to discipline them when they're fighting so I tell them to turn a video on.  I want to sit and read my book rather than have them bouncing around the room vying for my attention so I brush them off to the electronic babysitters.

Over a year ago we ditched actual TV.  No more Disney Channel, no more Nick Junior.  No more commercials bombarding my children with stuff-lust.  We only watch the occasional sports event usually because Hubby turns it on.  That one step has helped tremendously in cutting down on the asking for more things (we let them watch some of the Christmas movies on TV this year and suddenly the toy-lust got out of hand).  Hard to ask for something you don't know exists.

After our Great TV Purge with no TV of any kind, I started letting Netflix and library DVDs creep into the house.  Now they're watching just as much TV, just in the form of commercial-less stuff.  (No, I won't share how many hours they spend in front of the TV when I am at my laziest moments)

I hate it when my kids turn into zombies after sitting in front of the TV for an hour.  I hate how they beg and beg and beg and beg for screen time, more screen time, always wanting more.  After finishing a 90 minute movie they immediately ask to play on the computer. I look at them and think--what am I doing???

Why do I keep saying yes when my brain is screaming NOOOOO?!?!?!?!

And so I have declared that our family (minus Hubby) will be giving up screen time for Lent.  No TV except for one movie watched either Saturday night as a family or sometime on Sunday.  No computer games at all-the kids can only use the computer when they need to for school. I will be limiting my computer time to an hour a day.  No computer at all during the Sabbath (Sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday).

Lizzy's promotional piece

Lent isn't for another week, but I've already been cutting the kids back on screen time.  It's amazing what they have come up with to fill their time.  Saturday David spent the afternoon designing a track with his Keva blocks while Lizzy wrote up a press release for his track.  The girls spent two hours painting sun catchers.

David's Keva track

On Sunday David spent several hours folding paper airplanes using a book he got from the library as his guide.  It took both of us to figure out one of the planes, but once I showed David how to make a rabbit fold, he made five of the same exact plane practicing the fold until he got it perfect.

Joy helped me cook dinner.  Lizzy made a seat on her pinewood derby car for her squinkies to ride on.  And the big kids spent over an hour climbing up and down the walls.  Literally.

The kids whine and whine that they are bored, but once I enforce screen-free time, they suddenly turn into extremely creative and resourceful children.