There are a lot of parents out there who are dependent on technology in their everyday lives, but we have seen that there are a lot of negative effects. Technology, cell phone, and social media addiction especially affect children physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Most people believe that there needs to be a balance of technology in the home, but they have difficulty controlling it. While technology can be useful, balancing it out with other activities for your children is vital for their development.
Discipline Your Children
Proverbs 13:24 provides that “Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.” We need to discipline our children not just in terms of how they will be acting in society or how they will become good members of the community but also in terms of how they use their time.
The best way that you can manage your children’s time and balance technology in the home involves many approaches. Here are some useful suggestions:
Scheduling
You can do what other parents do by scheduling the gadget time of your children. They can have their gadgets at least once a day for an hour if they have done their schoolwork and household chores, but there should be nothing more than this. You will discover that children will do what is necessary to earn their gadget time.
Rewards and Punishment
You should also see to it that you reward your children and that you punish them accordingly when they do not follow your gadget rules. In some households, parents may allow their children to have an extra half hour on their gadgets if they do not do any of the things that are prohibited. Children have also deducted a half-hour on their gadget time if they fail to follow the rules.
In balancing gadget and technology time in your home, the important thing is that children know there will be positive and negative effects for their actions.
Change The Password Periodically
One way to balance the use of technology in your home by your children would be to change the password of the wi-fi now and then. This helps ensure that your children will not be hooked on their gadgets and technology and remind them that they also have other responsibilities as a member of the household and society.
Zero gadget days
Another good way to control the use of technology at home is to have days when gadgets are not allowed for your children’s use. While it may seem that you have a very busy schedule and gadgets seem to be the only way that you can keep your children happy is not real. Remember that our parents and their parents before that were raised without the use of a lot of technology. Furthermore, they were not exposed to any harmful effects of blue screens or electrical currents coming from the gadgets.
Other Fun Activities
You should have other fun activities out in nature and experiences that will keep your children away from the gadgets and involved in creative endeavors and interacting in ways that lead to family bonding.
Magazine reading
Reading a magazine or reading an article from a magazine with your children is a good way to interact with them. Creation Illustrated is a good nature magazine that is edifying for your children and for your whole family. The fun activities that you can find in this publication will do you and your children a lot of good that cannot be enjoyed in the same way using gadgets.
Chores
One of the best ways for your children to learn discipline and responsibilities is to teach them how to do some chores. They do not need to do the laundry or clean the whole house. But keep in mind that it helps that they have some responsibilities to do before they use technology or any gadgets that would distract them and make them unproductive for the rest of the day.
Family Games
There are a lot of family games, puzzles, and activities that are also available for you and your children to choose from in Creation Illustrated, You will find that you have the choice to enjoy life with new experiences in nature.
Camping
Going on a camping trip is a wonderful and meaningful way to build your relationship with your children. It is also a good way to make sure that your children have memories beyond the home while they experience the beauty of nature and activities that cannot be done in front of a screen. Getting sunshine and fresh air and exercise help wash away the harmful effects of screen time.
Schedule a camping activity that you can have with your children whether or not they are still kids or they are already adults. You will see that there are different sides to everyone. You may also discover a new skill to teach your child. Self-discovery is always a possibility and an added blessing when camping.
Bond with your children
The most important thing that you can do to balance technology in your home is to make sure that you do whatever you can to bond with your children. Some households have their specific technology times and the times for gadget use because the negative effects of using a gadget are always going to affect not just the personal relationships within the family but also the development of the child.
So, start today before it is too late. You will not regret balancing technology with those whom you care most about, but not balancing it could lead to many regrets. Even if you just choose one of the suggestions above, you are making progress toward controlling technology rather than having it control you and your children.
