Discover Free Time and Old Treasures

Help your children to learn limits while enjoying new found time and old treasures.

Surrounded by electronics and enough DVDs to watch until the cows come home, children today are definitely entertained. Our children are also being trained to want the latest and greatest and then cast it aside for the next great thing.

I can relate. I love the ease of someone entertaining me and I am a marketing firm's dream when a new product is launched. Whether shoes, gadget, software, or tube of lipstick. You name it and I just want to try it for myself.

Is this the thought pattern that caused the financial crisis we are all feeling? Some say it is. So how do we prevent this same pattern in our children?

The start of school makes a perfect opportunity to begin a new way of thinking and living.

Transition: Transition your children to a more manageable time allotment for television and electronics. While the American Association of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours per day of quality programming, the average child watches three hours of television per day. Fourteen hours a week is still a lot of television for a child. Determine the appropriate amount of time for your child and implement.

Free time: Now your children have time that was previously consumed by electronics and television. Encourage them to "go play." They will probably discover one of last year's toys of the minute somewhere in a toy chest or under their bed.

New Limits: Establish a limit on new toy purchases. This can be an especially hard one. Especially when you see the Robosapien toy your child has been wanting at an insanely discounted price. Hold firm. Get creative to establish the limit just right for your family. Is it new toys only at birthdays and holidays? How about new toys only under a certain dollar amount? Regardless of the policy adopted by your family make sure you stick to it. If the Robosapien deal is too good to resist, go back without your child and purchase it for his birthday.

The Result: You will be able to enjoy this time with your children and allow them to enjoy time with you. You may also notice more wiggle room in your budget while your child rediscovers all the great treasures he already has.

Photo Credit © Sebastian Czapnik | Dreamstime.com