Hello to all out there. I recently joined this forum and was impressed to have read lots of positive topics here.
I am new to this so bear with me if I yabber on.
I have 2 step kids. One is 13 and the other is 11. The boy (13) is very, I would say, addicted to whatever is on the idiot box. Actually it really doesn't matter, as long as its a screen. He will be on it.
She is not to bad at all. She entertains herself most of time without the influence of TV or "i' this or "i" that.
Things with her are rather well balanced for now.
I myself am very anti TV. I hate, most of times, whats on it. A lot of mind numbing crap in my opinion. "Im a celebrity, get me out of here"...Please....Are we all just sheep ? Celebrities, they are just people in actual fact.
Anyway I do like technology to a point. I like my computer and my phone. Although I dont spend hour upon hour on them. Funny, though, I could happily through the phone into the paddock out the front of our place some days as it won't stop ringing with clients.
I am here on this forum to talk to people and ask they're advice and opinions on parenting tips living with young teenagers.
I find that every time I walk in the house from work or wherever I have been. He is sitting on front of the TV. It shits me beyond belief and is not having a positive feeling for me. He is, however, restricted on how much time he has his viewing time but all I seem to see is what I have just mentioned.
I'll leave it for the moment and hope to chat to someone on this topic.
Many thanks
TV and Technology in general
Re: TV and Technology in general
Hello Andrew and welcome to the forum!
I'm sorry that I didn't see your post before, the notification was somehow stuck in my spam filter. Yes, I'm sure that it can be difficult to raise children nowadays, I understand your frustration. About teenagers and their media habits, well, that's a tough issue, no doubt.
While it's positive that you try to limit the viewing of your stepson, you should keep in mind that some people have difficulties limiting their own viewing habits. They'll watch as much TV as literally possible, and only time and opportunity limits their viewing. In other words, if your stepson really has an addiction problem, watching even limited amounts of TV will most likely fuel this addiction. Remember that once he's old enough to leave home, he'll no longer have parents limiting the amount of time to spend watching TV, so I'd recommend to deal with this when they're still young.
One solution is simply to get rid of the box. Research shows that children generally do fine without TV, they adapt quickly. Just keep in mind that fretting won't help. Instead children need healthy alternatives to TV, and if your family decides to live without TV they need to know the reasons why.
I recommend checking out a couple of books, for instance “The Big Turnoff” by Ellen Currey-Wilson, or the more scholarly “Living Without the Screen” by Marina Krcmar. See:
A review of “The Big Turnoff” by Ellen Currey-Wilson.
http://peopleunplugged.org/2015/08-11-r ... d-tv-free/
Living Without the Screen: Causes and Consequences of Life Without Television
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/460 ... the-screen
I don't have children myself, but I grew up without without a TV, so I know by experience what's it like to be a kid in a TV-free home.
Good luck, and feel free to post here whenever you have something to discuss!
I'm sorry that I didn't see your post before, the notification was somehow stuck in my spam filter. Yes, I'm sure that it can be difficult to raise children nowadays, I understand your frustration. About teenagers and their media habits, well, that's a tough issue, no doubt.
While it's positive that you try to limit the viewing of your stepson, you should keep in mind that some people have difficulties limiting their own viewing habits. They'll watch as much TV as literally possible, and only time and opportunity limits their viewing. In other words, if your stepson really has an addiction problem, watching even limited amounts of TV will most likely fuel this addiction. Remember that once he's old enough to leave home, he'll no longer have parents limiting the amount of time to spend watching TV, so I'd recommend to deal with this when they're still young.
One solution is simply to get rid of the box. Research shows that children generally do fine without TV, they adapt quickly. Just keep in mind that fretting won't help. Instead children need healthy alternatives to TV, and if your family decides to live without TV they need to know the reasons why.
I recommend checking out a couple of books, for instance “The Big Turnoff” by Ellen Currey-Wilson, or the more scholarly “Living Without the Screen” by Marina Krcmar. See:
A review of “The Big Turnoff” by Ellen Currey-Wilson.
http://peopleunplugged.org/2015/08-11-r ... d-tv-free/
Living Without the Screen: Causes and Consequences of Life Without Television
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/460 ... the-screen
I don't have children myself, but I grew up without without a TV, so I know by experience what's it like to be a kid in a TV-free home.
Good luck, and feel free to post here whenever you have something to discuss!
Re: TV and Technology in general
Many thanks for your reply. I will give the books a good read and try some things out for him.
Kind regards
Kind regards