Priorities, Kid Style

I write from home, and today I promised myself a bit of a break. As soon as my son heard, he begged me to watch the Scooby-Doo specials on Cartoon Network. The joy he adds when he says "Cartoon Network" shows that we haven't had cable television for long. Since I am an infamous multi-tasker, I planned to make up the 'coins' we're going to use as screen-time currency. My son does not approve. He's actually excited about the coins, as he gets to paint them. He just doesn't want it done during 'our' Scooby-Doo together time.

I'm off during a break from the marathon (how many hours of Scooby-Doo can one mom take?), and wanted to share the idea.

Every coin will be worth 1/2 hour of screen time. We'll all have 6 coins, to be used throughout the day. More coins can be added (for Scooby-Doo marathons, and such), but each half-hour watched equals 1 cardboard-cut-out coin in the jug.

Work, school, and family-time movies (which aren't often) are the only exceptions.

My job is to cut out the coins. Then our youngest will paint them, and I'll help him write the 1/2 hour, and he'll put everyone's initial on their coins, plush w for earned coins.

I'll post any progress.

I hope to hear from some parents about what they do to moniter and keep control of the television addictions that summer leads to.

Kim