Screen time...

This is part of PAIL monthly post for August. For more information please tap on the PAIL button on my sidebar. How much screen time is acceptable for your children?

Growing up I remember not having a limit on how much television I and my siblings could watch. But considering this was during the time in Australia where we only had three TV channels and most of the day time television was not for children, our days were spent outside playing.

As we grew up I remember spending time in front of the TV after school and after our homework was completed. Maybe watching more during school holidays but again there wasn't much on for kids so it was more interesting playing outside especially once we got a pool!

I'm not unrealistic about the role TV, computers and phones will play in my kid(s) life. We enjoy watching sport, documentaries, the news and the odd comedy as a way to unwind at the end of the day so I'm not going to deprive James of watching TV alongside us.

Times have changed since I was a kid and now we have hundreds of channels including children only channels that kids could sit in front of all day. As James grows and becomes more aware of the TV, I will have to set rules in place on when, what and how much he can watch. I don't see the need to have a TV in his room (I never had one growing up) and he won't have a phone until he can pay for it himself.

I think some children's television is okay like Ses.ame Street, Play School (an Australian program where they do craft, read books and sing songs) and some cartoons. But I despise programs like the Wigg.les, Do.ra the Explorer etc where it really is like a marketing tool to reel kids in. You can't just watch the program you have to buy the DVDs, games, tickets to the stage show (which for a Wigg.les concert are around A$45 each!) and even clothes.

As for computers, this is tricky since a lot of school work these days is done on the computer and he will need these skills when he gets older. I guess I will have to assess the situation when it comes up and like TV probably set ground rules on when, what and how much time he can spend playing.

Like everything in life I believe everything in moderation and I hope I can show James the joys in reading a good book, building a cubby house, running through a sprinkler and building towns out of Le.go that I enjoyed growing up.