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| A Luke creation. I won't mention that he used a dozen bandaids to build it. :) |
I really do notice a difference when I say no to TV, no to the DS, even no to too many books on tape. When they don't have the option of entertainment, they *eventually- not always immediately* make their own entertainment. It can be so hard for a young mom to say no to those options, and I never succeed with totally keeping them away for very long. It seems as soon as I say "No more movies on school days", someone gets sick and is laying on the couch asking to watch a movie (which is always an acceptable time for movies in our home). No sooner is the patient watching a movie than the other four are gathered around, also watching. So often I'm tired, things are chaotic, the baby is screaming, someone needs discipline.... life is happening and I'm so weary that I cave in and tell everyone to go turn on a movie. I always wish they watched less. I often wish we didn't even have the option. We don't have live TV in our home, but there are always movies and netflix, so not much difference other than it's controlled content. We have a DS that we bought when Luke ruptured his spleen. It was so nice to have then, but it's tough now. Just another pull. We set a rule that they can only play on Saturday for 30 minutes each, and that is working. But then we are left enforcing another rule and having to be strong in our resolve to say no when they come asking.
I guess these are just some of the challenges of parenting that everyone has to walk through, but back to my main point. When we do succeed at saying no, they blossom in creativity. So, if you're a parent, let that encourage you to just say no a little more often :).
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