My son doesn't seem to be able to entertain himself without a screen!

[Anonymum40]

It worries me as the summer holidays start that my son is going to try and spend all his time on one screen or another. I work 3 days a week and his grandparents are looking after him in our house. His 12 yo sister will be there too, but she's quite good at entertaining herself with her pets/ creative stuff/ baking etc.
What do 9 yo boys do??? He just doesn't seem interested in anything and sadly we don't have any little boys nearby for him to play with (because when with friends he's fine).

Ah Anonymum40, I hear you! My 10 year old is the same. 2 mins after being kicked off the screen... 'I'm bored' or 'what should I do?'. My 13 year old DD actually is quite good in getting him side tracked and she also games with him, which is at least some sort of human interaction.

When my MIL helped look after the kids in the school hols she did let him game, but also made him help with the chores (and lick the cooking spoons and bowls after baking). And also board games and card games. The sillier the better.

I keep telling myself, it's holidays, why shouldn't he be doing what he enjoys, whilst on the other hand feeling guilty that I can't push him to doing anything else... Saying that he does read or if I drag out some old toys so he can see them, will eventually do something with them (under duress and with lots of eye rolling and huffing).

Good luck, and nix the guilt! I know us mums do that so well ;)

Hmmm, thanks, so you reckon I shouldn't beat myself up too much? I like that. It still bothers me that he can't entertain himself and feel there's only one way he'll learn - by locking the study door when I go out! He's mad about a skateboarding game on the Playstation at the moment but not interested in actually learning to skateboard on the skateboard we own on the perfectly slopey driveway outside! Aaargh!

Ah the skateboarding game... my DS's friend has that and that's why DS loves going there. And we also have skateboards rotting away in the garage. Problem with my DS is that it's partially his personality... if he tries something new and (obviously) doesn't succeed straight away he gets so frustrated he gives up.

Some peeps say it's because he gets too much electronics time, but that was the same when we rigorously restricted everything for a year under the guidance of a kids developmental psych.

Spending too much time with screens isn't great, but on the upside our DS accumulates knowledge in problem solving and creativity with e.g. mine craft and strategy and team work with e.g. Plants vs Zombies Garden warfare ;)

And he does his chores at home, his home work and is doing well at school. OK so he isn't a Tom Sawyer, but then again... I always know where he is 'hehehehe'