'Living Simply' with children

cte1111

I have to admit, I do sometimes 'use' TV as a babysitter. This is perhaps what you are aiming to avoid but I think it's OK in moderation.

Today for instance, my daughter was recovering from a sickness bug so was at home with me. We spent part of the day playing Connect 4, doing some colouring and tidying up. However she also spent a fair amount of time sitting watching TV. It kept her happy and left me a bit of time to do some other things around the house (and even to read my book for 20 minutes, guilty of needing time to myself). I would have found the day more trying without the TV.

We rarely watch TV when we're staying on our canal boat. We do spend more time playing games together, which is nice, so I can see the point of limiting the use of technology, in order to make space for more old fashioned pursuits. I do find myself reading more as well as motoring through sewing projects. However I wouldn't be without one at home.

Araboo27

arbroath_lass wrote: »

Perhaps the internet is not the place to find anyone living as "simply" as you seem to want to? Can you not see the irony in that?

So because I'm considering a change in lifestyle and I want to simplify our lives, that means I shouldn't be using the internet? How do like minded people compare and exchange ideas? I couldn't abstain from the internet and from owning a laptop - I NEED them for work and uni....that doesn't mean I can't make changes in other areas.

arbroath_lass

Araboo27 wrote: »

So because I'm considering a change in lifestyle and I want to simplify our lives, that means I shouldn't be using the internet? How do like minded people compare and exchange ideas? I couldn't abstain from the internet and from owning a laptop - I NEED them for work and uni....that doesn't mean I can't make changes in other areas.

Oh, for goodness' sake. How did like-minded people exchange ideas BEFORE the internet? You are going to struggle if you are this tied to the internet.


I really don't care if you use the internet, have a tv/tablet/laptop or just huddle around a wind-up radio in the evening.


What I am saying is you are unlikely to find many people who want to minimise their internet/technology use actually ON the internet in the evening, are you?

Araboo27

cte1111 wrote: »

I have to admit, I do sometimes 'use' TV as a babysitter. This is perhaps what you are aiming to avoid but I think it's OK in moderation.

Today for instance, my daughter was recovering from a sickness bug so was at home with me. We spent part of the day playing Connect 4, doing some colouring and tidying up. However she also spent a fair amount of time sitting watching TV. It kept her happy and left me a bit of time to do some other things around the house (and even to read my book for 20 minutes, guilty of needing time to myself). I would have found the day more trying without the TV.

We rarely watch TV when we're staying on our canal boat. We do spend more time playing games together, which is nice, so I can see the point of limiting the use of technology, in order to make space for more old fashioned pursuits. I do find myself reading more as well as motoring through sewing projects. However I wouldn't be without one at home.

I think that will end up being our happy medium too I am going to try leaving the TV here when we move and will see how things go but I'm not going to cut my nose off to spite my face!!

Living back at home isn't great, there isn't enough space and the three children share a room so when it's nap time for the baby the boys can't play in their room or get toys out....if I haven't got anything out for them beforehand its so easy to pop a film on for them, especially if the weather is bad and they aren't keen on playing out.

I'm doing our little caravan up over the winter so come next year we'll be away most weekends and away from the tv anyway

Bennifred

Araboo27 wrote: »

My children are aged 1, 4 and 6 - I can safely say there would be no 'driving them out of the house!! They only visit friend's houses if I am with them, they're not at the age where they venture out alone, lol.

Now is the time to think about how you want them to interact with technology when they are older children and teenagers.
For example, we decided that our three would not have TVs in their bedrooms until they had finished their GCSE exams, despite lots of their friends and cousins etc having them in their rooms. Much easier to monitor (and limit) viewing when all the TVs are downstairs! Same for computers - they were kept downstairs.

One of my children went on to study Animation at university. Another graduated last year in Film Production (and works in the field). Not sure they'd have done that if they'd never been allowed to watch any TV. The youngest is in the final year of a History degree - he was always fascinated by documentaries of times past......

As another poster said - don't throw out the baby with the bath water. There is a middle ground between unlimited access to TV etc and no access at all.

Araboo27

arbroath_lass wrote: »

Oh, for goodness' sake. How did like-minded people exchange ideas BEFORE the internet? You are going to struggle if you are this tied to the internet.


I really don't care if you use the internet, have a tv/tablet/laptop or just huddle around a wind-up radio in the evening.


What I am saying is you are unlikely to find many people who want to minimise their internet/technology use actually ON the internet in the evening, are you?

Your comment actually made me laugh!!

Araboo27

Bennifred wrote: »

Now is the time to think about how you want them to interact with technology when they are older children and teenagers.
For example, we decided that our three would not have TVs in their bedrooms until they had finished their GCSE exams, despite lots of their friends and cousins etc having them in their rooms. Much easier to monitor (and limit) viewing when all the TVs are downstairs! Same for computers - they were kept downstairs.

One of my children went on to study Animation at university. Another graduated last year in Film Production (and works in the field). Not sure they'd have done that if they'd never been allowed to watch any TV. The youngest is in the final year of a History degree - he was always fascinated by documentaries of times past......

As another poster said - don't throw out the baby with the bath water. There is a middle ground between unlimited access to TV etc and no access at all.

Yes, that's a really valid point. I'm not suggesting a complete ban on TV, they will still have access to it when they sleep over at their aunties or nans for example and as they get older and their needs change then TV hours might be increased?

After trying life without a TV we all might hate it! I will probably end up allowing it back and putting a limit of 1 hour per day on it. I'd say they currently watch about 2 and it's mainly kids cartoon junk...Like others have said, there are some amazing documentaries and I definitely need to make use of these more often than we currently do.

Humphrey10

What my parents always said was we could only watch TV if we chose the programmes from the TV guide first, no mindlessly switching on the TV at random times and watching whatever happened to be on.
Maybe something like that is worth a try Araboo?

lavandergirl_2

Just try and see if it works for your family Although be realistic about it. Kids get easily bored- they need constant activities. Winter is approaching so they will spend most of the time indoors.

Craft activities, playing with cardboardboxes, walking in the woods, stay and play sessions, sports, playing outside the house. Any forest pre school or stay and play sessions?

TBH, Im more worried about the internet than TV (for my children). Hey ho. We live in technological age.

http://www.visitbritain.com/en/Cheap-and-free-Britain/


http://www.nature-play.co.uk/

http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/08/60-nature-play-ideas-for-kids.html

Birdie85

arbroath_lass wrote: »

Oh, for goodness' sake. How did like-minded people exchange ideas BEFORE the internet? You are going to struggle if you are this tied to the internet.


I really don't care if you use the internet, have a tv/tablet/laptop or just huddle around a wind-up radio in the evening.


What I am saying is you are unlikely to find many people who want to minimise their internet/technology use actually ON the internet in the evening, are you?

Araboo27 wrote: »

Your comment actually made me laugh!!

I don't really understand why this comment (and previous ones in the same vein) make you laugh, it's a perfectly valid point IMO! As for the percieved 'rudeness' you've mentioned, the only rudeness I've really noted has come from you.

I don't understand what kind of language you mean your LO is coming out with at 6 years old that is too old for him? If you think the TV is the cause of this, you must be letting them watch the wrong programmes. At such a young age I'd have thought TV would be limited to children's TV and the odd nature programme?

I don't think that removing the TV completely is the answer, we just have to recognise that children today grow up surrounded by technology and life is no longer 'simple'. Removing this is probably going to have a negative effect in a way as they'll be left behind by their peer group. Not such an issue now, but in a few years it certainly will be. Have limits on how much time is spent on the TV/on the internet/playing computer games etc by all means but don't remove them completely or they may find that the other kids think they're 'weird' and they could be left out.

There's nothing wrong with having a TV and just switching it on a couple of hours a week for specific programmes, make it part of a normal routine full of other activites and they won't question why it's not on more often.