what have I done!! i have banned screen time...

[lu9months]

Tonight I have flipped at my 11 and 8 year olds behaviour. the 11 year old is rude, answers back, doesn't listen, and generally knows best all the time. the 8 year old is whiny and whinging and crying all the time. I have got fed up tonight I announced that from tomorrow on, they have to earn all screen time - for 30 mins polite/calm/not killing each other they earn 10 mins screen time. They both went to bed howling at how terrible this is. now I am wondering what the hell will happen. will I survive? has anyone else done this and lived to tell the tale??

This is a really good time to take a stance but...have you got the stamina to remain consistent? That's gonna be your secret to success lu9months. Best of luck.

For the record, I did this much earlier and consistency was the key; I think this is true whatever the age you start taking a stand.

Is it individual or do they both have to be good for the half hour? Is half an hour a realistic goal? You should prob try to be around them a lot at the start as frustration on their part could make them play up more and you will struggle to ever get a half hour from them and it'll all go to pot.

You should also try descriptive praise and make sure to catch them doing things right.

Make sure to remove plugs or something to stop them sneaking it. And have alternative games/activities handy that aren't likely to cause a row. Swimming, skate park etc would also potentially be good?

DD earns iPod time as we don't have tv, but its more chore based than behaviour.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
HOW could you do that? ( high pitched shrieking) you are so mean! What is wrong with playing Minecraft 10 hrs a day?

no, peeling potatoes, putting my toys away and doing homework is not a better alternative! (stomping feet, yelling and whining)

I am calling social services! this is child abuse! wah wah wah you are running my life! (cue 2 hrs sobbing and wailing)

(Desclaimer: I'm 12 and my Dad just took away my laptop because I fell asleep with it resting on my chest)

Very silly You'll survive!

lu9 you'll prob have two model children in 48hrs and we'll all be following your lead....that's what I hope for you anyway, keep strong!

I ban screen time regularly. It's difficult to work an earning system imo but I guess that is a more positive way to do it. How it works with us is that in theory they have a daily screen time limit and they can lose all or some from that limit for bad behaviour. However, at weekends the limit seems to be stretched so that taking 10 minutes off doesn't really mean anything and also you then have to factor in whether tv counts and what is one is banned and the other isn't, are they allowed to be in the same room while the other child is playing on screen or you are watching tv.

We have screen free Monday, its sometimes hard (both for them, and for me!) but they now accept it without question and its often lovely. It's the only day we come straight home from school and don't go out again so the other nights screen time is limited naturally by other activities.

Hmmmm... I sometimes take away the TV if dd is being extremely naughty, but she does have restrictions. 1 hour of TV on Mondays and Thursdays(it may sound unfair but she has clubs on those days), around 2 and a half on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and about 4 hours on weekends unless we are going out.

So, in short, I barely ever take away screen time.

And in the time when dd is not watching tv, I watch it. I do not have a husband btw, we divorced four years ago.