Video Games and TV Time

(Originally posted to Narrow Path Home Study blog on Weebly, now deleted.)

We have always had a problem with our kids having too much time on the XBox, Wii, Nintendo DS, computer games, television and movies. I searched around the internet and came across TV tokens. It was usually designed for use with children younger than my own, however I figured I could modify it. One site even had a plastic holder on the wall where the children could move their used tokens down to the used token spot. This uses the Honor System, which means nothing at this point to our children.

Over the years, two of my three grandmothers collected board games and their paraphernalia. That said, I inherited quite a bit of these items. In a Ziploc baggie, one of my grandmothers had a bunch of little red plastic tokens. We decided to give the children a set number of tokens for 30 minutes of video games and a set number for 30 minutes of television. We also told them that there was the opportunity to earn extra 30 minutes for doing what they are told immediately and well. These extra 30 minute tokens could be used for either activity.

This week we found out that the Sharpie used for their initials on the tokens (to keep them from stealing each other's tokens) and TV or VG for type of token (so they cannot try to use TV time for video games or vice versa) rubs off when handled too much. So instead I got out my cordless drill and new drill bits my husband bought me.

I ended up needing to use his drill since my battery was dead, but I also needed to decide how to differentiate the tokens still. Each child has 6 tokens for television, 6 tokens for video games, and a reserve of 5 extra 30 minutes tokens. These 30 minute tokens are kept with the Redeemed Tokens container in my bedroom. This keeps them from stealing back their tokens to use again. (You may think I sound like I do not trust my children. You would be right. We have had our change jars raided, children's candy stashes stolen, etc. As I said, the Honor System means nothing to our children.)

So Victoria's TV tokens have a single hole, video games have three holes, and reserve tokens have five holes. Alexander's TV tokens have two holes, video games four, and reserve six.

 There are also limitations and tolerances on the use of tokens.

1. Tokens must be redeemed by taking tokens to a parent.
2. Family Television time does not require token use.
3. Agreeing on a movie or television show does not require token use.
4. Video Game use must always be accompanied by a token, even if playing together.
5. TV tokens can not be used more than four in a row. (To cover solo movie time.)
6. Video Game tokens can not be used more than two in a row.

This system is being grudgingly accepted, and it has been slow going this first week. There has been a lot of "Did you pay tokens for that?" and a lot of "Dad, where did you put the tokens the kids gave you?" For the past two weeks, tokens were left over for one child and the other monopolized the living room. Trying to keep everything fair for the two children is really tough. They originally started with ten video game and four television tokens. No one has earned extra time yet. We cut out two hours worth of video game time available but added an hour's worth of television.

The next possible step to this is to label some of our movies. My husband is very proud of our movie collection. (722 movies strong. The very large bookcase we bought for the collection last year started out half full. It is now full. He refuses to part with any of them.) The majority of the movies are inappropriate for children to watch in my opinion, but what he wants to let his own children watch, well I cannot stop him, even though the girls' mother agrees with me. There are plenty of family friendly and good action flicks as well, and nearly every superhero movie made in the last two decades.

I'm sure he will have a problem with me labeling his movie cases with how many tokens each will require. I may just write a list of movies and how many tokens each will cost. This will probably be a three column sheet of paper with the movies they typically watch broken into 2, 3, and 4 tokens.

We'll see how the next week goes with the new tokens.

~Mom on a Narrow Path