Saturday with Kids and Their Technology

A Messy Fruit Smoothie Saturday may not be a school day, but there is still much to be learned. Saturdays may be mayhem around the Wii or Xbox in your house. Learning to live Saturdays well by starting with a productive routine can be a path to unexpected fun and family progress. So on Friday night, prepare your brood for a new kind of Saturday.

“I know tomorrow is Saturday and you are looking forward to being on your Xbox; however, I want you to first finish your morning routine (brush your teeth and make your bed, etc.) and then help me in the kitchen (cut strawberries, make pancake batter, etc.)  before you start playing.  Do you understand that?”

The next morning, have a meal preparation job–rinsing, slicing, chopping, measuring–ready for your child and stick to your guns! The desire to play on Saturday will likely create an urgency on their part to finish whatever responsibility you have doled out. Ignore the complaining; they will get used to it if you make this a common weekend occurrence.   Meanwhile, you have been able to get an odd job done nearby while they have been honing their strawberry slicing skills. [Few boys will pass up an opportunity to use a knife.]

In one relatively peaceful morning, you have reinforced the idea of personal grooming, taught your child a life skill, spent time together, and accomplished more than you could have alone.  Time to enjoy your tea–within earshot of the Wii.

Photo by Prentice Wongvibulsin via Compfight