Our Limited-Technology Summer Rules

It has been a week and a half without iPads, daily television, Netflix, and phone play for our kids. It’s been closer to a month of limited access of these items.

While I would love to be completely tech-free, all-day, everyday, that’s not fair to anyone – including me. Not to mention that I am a writer… I have my computer open whenever creativity strikes. AND I love to watch my Netflix shows in the evening. It’s how I shut my mom-brain off and zone out. We also enjoy family movies! What a hypocrite I would be if all technology was banished for the kids, but not the adults?

This is not the early 80’s here. I want my children to live their childhoods’ fully… including summers of boredom, but I’m also realistic. Mommy likes to unwind with a glass of wine and let the kids veg out…

We are absolutely loving our #TechFreeSummer so far, but after my last post, I’ve had a few questions about what exactly our tech rules are. I figured, the best way to answer would be to the masses.

Limited-Technology Rules For Our Home

  1. NO TECHOLOGY unless Mommy or Daddy says it’s ok.

That’s basically our main rule. ha.

Here are a few others that John and I are in charge of remembering, and the kids seem to forget:

  1. All iPads are kept together and away from kids, only to be retrieved by a parent.
  2. Television is permitted before iPads.
  3. iPads will be handed over if a parent asks for one.
  4. If fighting or bad attitudes arrive due to screen time, the devices will be removed and new rules discussed.

Our kids don’t have to check a list of crap before they earn their screen time. They have things we expect of them every day that are just part of life. I hate when I hear that kids earn screen time… I feel like it is part of the reason kids melt down when their time is over.

Here’s the deal. Today was the FIRST day we agreed to iPad usage in 10 days. It was early, a Saturday morning, and I just wanted to sleep a bit longer. Selfish, I know. I should have allowed the TV and not iPads; I’ve learned my lesson.   Our morning was Hell.

We needed to get ready for baseball games, and yet no child would cooperate, help, or listen at all. There was fighting between kids, aggravated adults, tears, and a late arrival to game #1. Both John and I just shook our heads and decided it was time to take our limited-technology a step further.

iPads somehow turn our kids into crazed-mean-unhelping creatures; normally it’s Netflix or a stupid app they are obsessed with – or just the screen itself. I think the time of day and exhaustion level of the child plays a huge role too. But I have realized that the hour of ‘sanity’ for me is not worth the 2-3 hours of cranky attitudes that comes with it. So we are cutting off iPads even more.

Educational apps can be played when a parent agrees, but it will be limited to 45 minutes, unless a parent extends time and happiness is still existing. No one uses an iPad until late afternoon or evening, and that will be a rarity (if at all) on weekdays.  (This is basically what the rules have been, but every once in a while we slack and shit hits the fan.)

If any of you have cut (or extremely limited) technology in your house, what advice do you have to share?  I’m up for learning from others on this!

One thing is for sure, our entire house is a more peaceful environment with technology being limited!

PS — Because of how our morning started, the children have been scrubbing the cars are afternoon, TOGETHER….   and they are HAPPY.