When we got our first computer, it came with games. Card games and computer games. While card games took time, they didn’t really attract any of us to the computer. The games did. This is a problem when you have two young children, which we did at the time.
Hours of screen time: Have you ever counted all the time you spend in front of a screen? We have our computers, cell phones, televisions, and video games. Many of us use them every day. That adds up to hours of sitting and watching.
This is not good for our eyes and even less for our waist. Unless you have an interactive exercise set, all of that time is probably from a sitting position. The only thing that exercises can be our fingers.
Addictive: When we play a game, anything that bothers us is annoying. The adrenaline is flowing and we don’t want to stop. This is very much like the symptoms of an addiction. We can hear the plea (or we make it ourselves) “Five more minutes, please?”
Time management: We can solve this problem, both for ourselves and for our children. Limiting screen time is good for the whole family. An example of how to do this could include not having cell phones on the table. This means that we could actually talk to each other.
Another is to set a timer. When the timer rings, so does the display. After that, it’s time to do something that doesn’t involve a screen. Get out there and play. Learn a new hobby like crochet or origami.
We don’t have to let video games take over our lives. In fact, it is important that we do not. We need to live our own lives and that includes interacting with each other as a family.