Back to school - what does your evening look like?

[SchoolShirt]

Ds has just turned 13 and is so much more grown up since he was last at school.I’m struggling to adapt! During lockdown we had a fab routine and were pretty relaxed about screen time. Since he’s gone back he’s just wanting to go on his Xbox all the time with his mates.

He gets home from school at 3-30 and we’ve said he can go on his Xbox between 5 and 8. Does that sound okay? It’s ridiculous as I can’t work out what he will do when he gets home from school if he has no homework. Dh and I will still be working at hone and he’s an only child

It seems harsh to specify 5-8 if he's home at 3.30 with no homework, especially during lock down when going to muck about with mates in the park isn't an option. What made you pick those times? Would 4.30-7 be better, and would give you a chance to interact with him once you finish work?

Sorry, 3.30-7

We have a time limit on the Xbox of 2 hours on a school day and once that is gone it goes off. He also has to fit in music practise / lessons / sports clubs and homework, so how much he uses and when can vary day to day.

When does he work best? Mine is a bit brain dead straight after school, so even though I’d love to get her to do her homework first thing and then relax, she just can’t.

She tends to only wake up mental at about eight or nine and then gets in a panic about what she has to do the next day. So I’m trying to have a ‘homework time’ a bit earlier at straight after dinner, so about 7. I don’t know whether I will put her phone on downtime or not. I’ll see how many late night homework panics she has.

Sorry, I totally misread the ‘no homework’ as ‘homework’!

What does he do with himself at the weekend? What will he do in his no Xbox time?

Thanks for the comments. We thought that a 3 hour Xbox limit was sensible on a week day. And he’s decided on the 5 til 8 slot as that is when his friends are on. Once sports clubs are running he will have those twice a week.

The question about what he does at the weekend is a good one! We make him go out for a walk with us once a day. And he has met his friend on the park for a kick about, but other than that all he wants to do is chat to his friends on the Xbox. It’s a social thing so they will also for example watch a football match together whilst on it. But he doesn’t do anything else which I’m not sure is normal or not.