Name: Gill Family
Hamilton, ONT, CAN
Number of kids: 4
Ages of kids: 2, 5, 14,15
Problem: It seems our 2 teenage male kids have no social life between them. They play playstation all the time and only do the same when they bring their friends over. They bought the system with their own money and we feel confused with the question of limiting it or its use. They both do well in school , but have dropped sports for the most part. They never leave the house unless it's to go to rent another game. We know times have changed but the social inactivity disturbs us greatly. They show no interest in girls or having a girlfriend, and do their best to avoid meeting new people. We're open to all suggestions.
Solution submitted by Mom42 from South Bend, IN: we had this same problem in our home. We chose to limit their TV usage to just the weekend and only a limited amount of time. Two hours per day. So for a weekend that is a total of 4 hours. That includes time at their friends house. If they choose to play video games in that 2 hour period then there are no movies or other TV. It was a difficult to enforce at first but they got used to the idea. I monitor them on occasion because it is easy for them to forget the time. But as the parents we set the rules and they have to abide by them. Good luck.
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