You are of a generation when your childhood entertainment was limited to TV, videos (remember VCR cassettes), and DVDs, but your teen years had all of those options at your fingertips via iphones and laptops. When you were in single digits, I had control of entertainment. It wasn't until M was a junior that I was contending with devices that made it impossible for me to know what you were doing online, and had to instruct and trust in those areas.
It became obvious to us that this new world was opening up new ways to be entertained when one day I sat and realized that if I added up all the time I had seen you all on Facebook, watching TV shows on Netflix, etc., 18 hours had been spent in one day. Entertainment is one of the luxuries we get living where we do. Eighteen hours of it is too much.
We created the rule that entertainment usage of the electronics (Facebook, watching on You Tube, watching movies online, Netflix) was to be limited to 60 minutes per day. It did not include email, listening to music online, schoolwork usage, and it did not include any time we spent in the evenings as a family watching TV or a movie. In order to keep track, I had this template (that I personalized at the bottom with your name) by the computer and you were to log the time spent. It was more of a way for you to be aware of the time you were spending on entertainment than anything else. You all are such great kids, that once you were aware there was a problem, you initiated getting it under control yourselves.
Love,
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