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Reading the title, a busy single parent would probably be raising her eyebrows and ask: why would I want to limit my child's video gaming hours when it has worked perfectly well and saved me a lot of hassle from having to deal with my child myself? Cruel, I know, but true, though, is not it? Unfortunately, everyone knows that no amount of PSPs and other video gaming systems can take your place in your child's your world.
Here are a few practical tips on how to make better use of your child's idle time without sacrificing your own time for relaxation:
1. Allow your child only a limited number of games or minutes of video gaming time everyday, or if not, assign a "video gaming day" every week. You may use video games as a reward system for your child when he turns in a neat artwork from art class or when he scores high in his test.
2. When your child has his friends over for a game, allow only an hour or two of video gaming and suggest other sports such as baseball, basketball or other more actual, physical play.
3. Enroll your child in sports. There are many sports such as swimming, baseball and basketball that gives recreational value to your child as well as develop its physical and mental skills. Video Gaming is simply not one of these valuable recreations.
4. Enroll your child in music lessons. Again, like sports, music develops your child's ability in other skills besides that annihilating that virtual nemesis in his video game system!
5. If you can help it, spend time to your child working on a craft or simply dining out and talking.
Once you get past that awkward early thirty-minute silence with your child at the
dinner table and once you get your child to talk, you will find out that there are many things you will need to learn about your child. It is then up to the parent in you to interpret your child's language and turn it into activities that will be both beneficial for your child, as well as relaxing for you without necessarily turning to technology and video games.
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