forever.

Except for 1/2 a day episode of Storm Hawks and a dvd on Friday and Saturday night.

Do you think they will now kill each other?

We are on day 1.

I am moving telly in ds1's room into mine.

If they're used to a lot of it then it will take them a while to figure out other ways to occupy themselves.

Do you want them to kill each other ?

Good for you, you don't need them.

We have one tv in this house, ds (9) has to earn screen time by getting other things done. That's how it works in the real world - you get your jobs done then you get leisure time. We have a family movie night on Saturdays and we all take a turn to choose. It's a shared activity.

J got a Wii for Christmas and we only play with it at scheduled times. There are much more fun things to do than vegging out in front of something electronic.

I commend you, KM. Keep at it!

I see I scared you with my offer to swap them for girls

I impose non TV/computer weeks and its great they sit around for a bit then try all the usual "its a waste of money buying the tv if we don't watch it" then after a few "I'm bored" they find something to do usually in the garden.

Good luck. Be strong

oh...my...god

you might have to speak to your kids? WTF?

i think your nuts

how are you going to mumsnet in peace? i don't think you thought this through.

lol

I know. It's...

MUM. Can you do this?

MUM. Can you get me this?

MUM I want this.

MUM I'm bored.

But ds1 can actually occupy himself quite well and ds2 is just going to have to learn.

I got scared into it yesterday when I took ds2 to football and he spent the entire time pounding his chest and ROARING like King Kong. I've never been so embarrassed in my life.

Be prepared for lots of playfights involving water and sticks.

And the possible development of an addiction to Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokemon cards.

DO NOT GET SUCKERED INTO BUYING 'THE GAME OF LIFE' - it does not help the Winter nights to fly by.

<<voice of experience>>

AND I have this ENORMOUS back garden that they never use if their friend isn't round cause it's BORING and I tell them they'll just have to play with each other.

I think they'd rather go without telly AT ALL than that!

ds2 is a HUGE board game fanatic. But unforuntately a lot of them are in pieces. Am going to encourage jigsaws.

Good Luck! You're making a good choice that will benefit you all in the long term - be strong and if they start to moan throw them outside I'm sure theres plenty of gardening to do or let them play on their bikes out the front.

Well Done

I'd say the back garden is the key.

Treasure hunts, obstacle courses, DS2 can practise his King Kong impression.

My children are only allowed screen time (either computer or tv) on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We have had this rule since ds started school (so it's now been 2.5 years). It is absoultely the best thing I could have done for them (and me). They play together (2 years apart) all the time and play the most wonderful imagiinative games. They play in the garden, in the house, pretty much anywhere. They choose to read books as an activity. And the best part is that they know how to self amuse themselves and this is in stark contrast to their friends who watch lots of tv/play computer games and do not know what to do if a screen is not available. I do not need to set up games or activities for them, as they just invent them. When they do play board games, they make up their own rules, usually simplifying existing ones so dd (5) can play too.
I was brought up with similar tv restrictions and I can categorically say that it really does work. Give it a few weeks for them to shed old habits and pick up new ones and you will be so happy you made the choice.

Just what is wrong with TV and computer games? Mine are unlimited and always have been. Sometimes they play a lot of games (they rarely watch telly) and sometimes they don't. they regulate themselves.
I don't see either activity as so terrible it must be banned.

and they read tons of books and play keyboard too.

Well done KerryMum. Very brave. The right time of year to impose such a rule. You can always slack up a bit in winter.

riven they are ADDICTS. It affects their behavior and their ability to get on with each other and other children.

Ooh, I'm tempted to do this. Very tempted.

mine go through grumpy periods of addiction but it wears off as they know there is no limit.

Riven, not all children are self regulating like yours. My dd probably would be. My ds would watch/play computer 24 hours a day if he was allowed.
I also think that tv and computer teaches children a very limited range of activities and stunts their creativity. It's easier to think/do things the way they have already seen or done it on a computer or tv. It's only anecdotal and of course there are exceptions, but in my experience I have foudn a direct correlation between the amount of tv/computer my children's friends watch/do and their blandness as individuals. And then at the older levels I have seen a direct correlation between amount of screen time and poor school performance. Of course my tale is just anecdotal, but I do think there are a variety of scientific studies out there that have similar results.

In any case, KerryMum is looking for support, I think and stories of families where limiting screen time has worked. Clearly unlimited viewing has not worked for her.

reserach here

a parents arrtcile [[http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hollow/1093/tvandvideogames.html here]

My dc sound similar to yours, Riven. They tend to self regulate. They do have periods of time when they might be considered 'addicted' but they get bored and go and look for something else to do. It doesn't seem to have affected their education, either.
I do go through times myself when I tell them to switch it off and go and do something else but this is usually when I've had enough of listening to it so probably more my problem.

I don't think that removing tv or playstation is harmful. The children will find other stuff to do which won't necessarily mean killing each other Surely they have times when they seem to be attempting that even with tv/ps around (mine do) .

My dds aren't too keen on television but dses are. Ds2, in particular.
I think that restricting telly/computer time can be a good thing - I've yet to find a sensible way to do it though, with four dcs, as they are all interested in different things but will also watch each other's choices.

ds2 would do nothing but. All his cultural references are Cartoon bloody Network. He acts like a wild animal and tbh people seriously think there's something wrong with him the way he gets on.

He needs more mum time and less idiot box time.

Good luck KM! A mate of mine used to do this for a week or 2 during the summer holidays (and has now abandoned the idea!)

How old is ds2?

Mine doesn't even watch 'proper' tv, it's more dvds etc with the occasional Dr Who thrown in (new obsession), but even so, given the chance he'd sit there all day every day. I HAVE to limit his access in order for him to have some kind of existence and do other things, because by choice he wouldn't do them. Agree that not all children are capable of self-regulating, most have to be taught to manage their own routines.

mine are teenagers. Number 4 is 4 but is blind so never watches TV or plays computer games. Which is a pity cos she constantly needs entertaining!
Boys tend to watch that Nancy show and films we order from LoveFilm. Number 3 will watch Holby with me.
Right now number 3 is playing Medieval Total War and interrupting me with facts about medieval Europe while number 2 is playing classical music on his piano and experiemneting with the keyboard (we discovered it could do burps and farts yesterday )
I don't know what I'd do if they wanted to roam the streets like other teenagers.

Hi - I've got 3 dc's and we have no tv but do have a dvd player. I have a real love/hate thing with it, when I want to mn in peace then it goes on for much longer than I intended, then I get disgusted with myself for not being the perfect earth mother I was going to be and I hide it.
The problem is my life is so chaotic dh and I forget where we hide in so when we are desperate for peace again we can't find it!
You mentioned a large back garden - you could always get them to grow their own meals....

DD enjoys visiting various children's websites, and sometimes uses her at home 'downtime' watching telly. At times, I actively encourage that so I can do things I want/need to do around the house. At other times, I wonder if she should do more reading/drawing, etc. and less 'plug in' entertainment. But, I feel slightly hypocritical imposing limits on her computer/telly time when I probably should discipline myself a bit regarding my Mumsnet use.

We have no TV but a DVD player plus I download programmes from CBeebeies on BBC iPlayer on the laptop for a v special treat. Best thing we ever did was not getting a TV - I can still watch programmes I realy really want to see (Mad Men, The Apprentice ) but not having actual TV stops you just switching on the TV as background noise. Stops the kids taking it for granted as well.
Saying that, we watch a lot more DvDs in the winter than the summer, plus as I work freelance from home, if an emergency deadline suddenly happen, the DVDs go on and on and on.

best of luck, I definitely think it's worth while trying. Though I like the idea of set times eg twice a week screen time.

I ban the TV on a regular basis. Drives my daughter insane as she is a serious addict. She can't work the TV any more as I switched all the scart leads about, so she has to wait until I put it on now.

Good luck, it's lovely when you can get to a stage where the box in the corner is there to be used when you feel like it instead of it dominating the room

Good for you KerryMum

We've given up TV since about Christmas. (Me too, the only thing I miss is Dr. Who)

I do allow (limited) screen time, and very limited stand-alone DVD time. My reasons were to do with behaviour; I worked out that DS (7) was getting physically violent if he watched too much TV.

This weekend, because it was SO HOT, I let him watch a few hours of DVDs, (in between outdoor play) and by evening he was barging me, throwing punches etc., and thinking it was funny.

DVD player is now back on top of the wardrobe.

We did suffer from obsessive Monopoly for months, but it has eased off a bit now, and he now reads in his room in the mornings instead of charging downstairs for TV.

I think to ban it every now and again is a good idea, have you banned it for the whole family or just the kids?

When dd was about three I put our TV in the loft for a month and it was great, we now have the TV back but we watch it much less and do far more togther.

We are in the middle of a Wii, computer and ps2 ban. Mine don't watch much tv so that hasn't been removed. The ban was due to nothing ever being done without negotiation and was started last weekend.
Since then they have rediscovered their scooters, made bows and arrows, started a tree house (platform) and generally messed around outside.
The downside is the number of injuries and filthy clothes that do not come clean!

God my dd is filthy at the moment.

We had to take her to the walk in centre this afternoon after she had been playing out and then been horseriding and she was as grubby as hell. The nurse was very condescending about it all.

Silly cow t+P (the nurse,not you)

If it makes you feel better I am nurse and yesterday my kids both looked like they were auditioning for a bit part in a Dickens adaptation.They were both covered head to toe in dirt from that bark stuff they put in parks.DD had an obligatory yellow snot trail too....the bath went grey from the muck

Kerry mum.... you do realise you will have to interact with your DS's now, and buy more shoes and wash more clothes, and tidy up more mess.

Much better to make them watch TV all day. You might forget you have them. Just take them pizza and biscuits occationaly.

those who do the ban, it sounds like you have countryside/big gardens/non-teenagers.
How would it work for city types?

I think you just give them different things to do, riven. People raised children in cities long before there was TV.
And some teenagers like myself watched hardly any TV at all.

tv fairly unregulated here although I say 'no go and play' whenever I feel like it

also if it is a lovely sunny day the telly doesn't go on unless somesort of meltdown has occurred

mine dont watch more than half an hour a day during a school week anyway usually

and riven yes we have the whole of dorset countryside at our disposal, two walkie talkies and a friendly village

what good is a dvd without a telly? I mean how can you watch it?

If my teens went out to 'play' they'd get beaten up. I live in a very rough area with lots of traffic. Only park type place is full of junkies and wino's.

that sucks riven

KM you can get dvd players that have a screen.

We have a telly but it isn't plugged into the tv channels (LOL a the threatening letters we get from TV Licencing, why do they find it so hard to believe that some people don't want to watch that crap!).

It is used for dvds and the x-box. My boy is only 4 and has been raised so far with no telly, he is allowed to watch a dvd or two on Sat/Sun mornings and a bit more on rainy days if we are lazing about.

We live in London but in a fairly nice corner and he has lots of little friends nearby - whose mum's often drop off for playdates or we go to the park or he just messes around in the little courtyard we have.

TVs are a nice luxury but not a necessity.

We have a DVD player but our TV has no aerial so doesn't receive a picture (Morloth,. speak to TV licensing and they won't bother you anymore). We didn't really set out to have no TV but after living in Spain for five years, we moved back and found our TV aerial didn't work here and never bothered getting it fixed. I think it helped that, having been abroad, we were very weaned ourselves from British TV and barely watched Spanish TV as it is truly rubbish.

We also live in fairly central London, albeit a particularly green bit. Like I said, in summer it's fine, no TV is easy. My two DDs are also very into crafts etc, adn would rather do that than TV. If it rains for days on end, then the DVDs come out however, fairly sharpish.

LOL staranise, we have written to them, called them, been inspected multiple times etc. Not too worry it has just turned into a bit of a joke for us, it just seems a bit much to make sure someone isn't watching telly!

Oh dear Morloth! We jsut rang them and said our TV didn't work and we've never heard from them since!

We are in a London suburb and mine are just pre teen and early teens. We are lucky that they can play out safely, they are also so close in age that they keep each other happy.

The key is not to have sky.

Mine are bored of Cbeebies and we rarely buy DVDs, so they don't bother much.

I love sitting down together to watch Dr Who though .

So Kerry Mum are you limiting your own electronic pleasure? (I mean MN, obviously).

I only allow my kiddies to watch 1 DVD per week. They are allowed time on the internet, but I have to approve of the site first. If they are learning something, I don't mind. Anything else, no way.

There are plenty of other activities that they can enjoy.