The “John Connor” Method of Regulating Childhood Technology

First, I want to start off by saying we are not a tech free home!  We are a battle like hell to find balance household. My wife and I are both public school teachers who have only anecdotal evidence of what we see in our professions of kids who spend too much time on technology.  And it is not good!  If you are interested in the science behind this topic, simply look it up, there is a ton of information out there.  I recommend the book (*and this is not a paid promotion), “Reset Your Child's Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-Time” by Victoria L. Dunckley, MD.  The science and anecdotal evidence from a doctor is documented in this well-written book. 

My children enjoy video games as did I as a kid.  I guess I am part of the original Nintendo generation who grew up playing Mario Bros, Zelda, and Tecmo Bowl!  The biggest difference I have noticed is that my video games actually ended and I did not have the ability to communicate with friends within the game.  If I wanted to play a video game with or against a friend, I had to go to their house or vice-versa.  Gaming systems today do not require you to leave your home to play with and communicate with others, therefore trapping you in the house.  Throw a smart-phone into the mix and now when you actually do get out of the house, you can still play a game, scroll through social media, and still be completely disconnected to your physical world. 

So how do my wife and I deal with the abundance of technology?  Truthfully, sometimes not very well.  We could certainly do better but the reality is we try hard and we continuously try hard.  That is the secret.  I am sure you can go off and search for recommendations for a better plan or even try to cut technology out altogether.  But I question if cutting technology out altogether is beneficial given the fact that we are living in a tech driven society.  Wouldn’t teaching your kids about balance, time management, and priorities be a better lesson?

We communicate with our kids about what we think is too much technology.  We remind them that they need to move onto something else and find something else to do.  They are reluctant, they say they are bored, and conflict certainly does arise but we stick to our principles about balance and we continue to fight the fight that we think is worth fighting.

Planned alternatives are a great way to say, “time’s up.”  I grew up doing outdoorsy things and I incorporate some of my hobbies and passions into the alternatives that I offer my kids.  I plan bike rides, hikes, neighborhood walks, skateboarding in the road, reading, and fishing just to highlight a few ideas.  Are the kids always into what I propose? Absolutely not, especially as they are getting more into their teenage years.  But you have to continue to try and try and not give in to the endless technology…think John Connor constantly struggling to defeat the robotic terminators!   Getting outside doesn’t have to be difficult and over planned.  Establish boundaries that work for your family by creating time slots where technology is shut down and make technology a privilege and not a right.  Parenting is hard, technology regulation is hard too, but getting outside to ReWild Outdoors together will be worth it.

I’d love to hear your parenting strategy and how you regulate technology. Do you “John Connor” it or have any other tips and suggestions that work for you?

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