Two Pennies

Ryan is hooked on playing video games. I've been dreading this and I can't believe it's starting at such a young age. I wish he had never been introduced to Lego Star Wars and Mario Kart because he has become obsessed. He wakes up asking to play games and whines all day long about them.

I found myself getting really frustrated with him, and also not knowing when to say yes and when to say no. I'd have to think back over the day to remember how much he had already played. It seemed like his screen time was really adding up and I was feeling uncomfortable with how much time Ryan was spending playing computer or video games. I felt like I needed a concrete rule for his "gaming", and I think I've come up with something that works.

Each morning Ryan gets two pennies. Each penny is good for 20 minutes of playing on the PlayStation or tablet. He can cash in his pennies any time during the day. (Unless it is dinnertime, bedtime, or time to leave the house.) When he hands me a penny I set my kitchen timer for 20 minutes and Ryan can start playing. He likes being in control of when he gets to play, and I like that there is a time limit to his screen time.

We've been using the two penny rule for a month now and so far it is working really well!