WebMD Town Hall: Just Say No (to the TV)

Ok Mrs, Obama, this one's for you. As a parent, how do I compete with an Xbox?

The Xbox. Tough. Just say no. Turn it off. Turn it off. Say no. But the other thing, you know, we're, they have these games, all these computer games, now they're getting a bit more savvy and they're things that require kids to move. So what is it, the dance one, well, there's the dance one where I don't even know where, it takes a picture of your body and then all you have to do is dance in front of it. You guys have that one? That's a good one. I mean, that's a good party goer and you'll work up a sweat and you'll learn some good moves. So some of these Xboxes, you know, I don't want to pick out a brand, but some of these computer games are getting pretty savvy. If you got, if there is time in front of it, I would just urge the kids to focus on the thing that's going to get them up. Move away from the things that are just thumb oriented, where they're sitting, because now there are more games that require kids to be up. But you know, when in doubt, sometimes the answer is just no. You know, I know in our house we have pretty strict rules about TV time, computer time, nothing during the week. They can earn an hour if they finish everything they have to do for that week, and they have to earn it. So they can work towards an hour during the week. They have two hours on Friday, three hours on Saturday, two hours on Friday. Period. And what happens is that they're bored, so then they wind up doing stuff like playing with their dog and then they're running around, throwing, you know, because kids can't sit still. So they're not going to just sit there and stare, they might do a little more reading, but eventually, they're going to figure out, just like we did when we were growing up, when we were bored, you just picked something up and you started moving, right?

: So it's important for us as parents to set those limits, and it's tough, because I know there are just times you need them in front of that box so that you can get a little peace of mind. But I think, you know, it's our job to kind of just cut them off because this stuff is so enticing and it's a lot of fun for them, and it's just pulling them in. And if they're sitting if kids are sitting for hours on end, it's just never good for them. It's just it's just not going to work. Just like us. You know, whenever a kid is sitting, the question is, how can we get them moving? How can we take every opportunity where they're sitting and turn it into a game where they're up? Doing the same things. You know, making them go get the laundry. Seeing how many, you know, make it a competition, see how many sit-ups they can do over the course of a commercial, you know. Set up award systems. Kids are good at competing for things. So if we help them make it fun, that Xbox, that computer game is going to be a little less interesting to them because, as was said before, kids ultimately want our time more than anything else, but it is a challenge. It's a challenge.