Right. Let’s just say that after the school holiday season I realised that I needed to shake things up in the house a bit. Why? Well, I’ll tell you why. My children were lazy. I had overlooked it for so long, but after noticing that my kids spent nearly fourteen days inside the house staring at their computer screens, I knew something needed to change. I’m fairly certain the two of them didn’t even interact while they were home, aside from the odd text message to each other’s other rooms.
One day I just cracked. I tried calling out to my eldest son as I needed some help carrying the shopping. I called him three times and even raised my voice, but I heard zip. He didn’t make a peep. The lack of response wasn’t the issue though. For me, the issue was the fact that he slammed the door. He slammed it with brute force too! I dropped the shopping and marched upstairs to ask why he slammed the door how he did, only to be told that I had been interrupting him. So, I unplugged all the computers in the house and locked them in the shed.
I now have a new rule. Everyone must spend a minimum of an hour outside the home. I even bought the kids some sport equipment as motivation to go outside and stay outside. Plus, it allows for more of an opportunity for them to start interacting together. The first week of the rule they were both going on separate walks, individually. No doubt to be on their phones.
Since bringing in the sport equipment, I have noticed a change. They’re eager to go outside. My eldest then asked me what was the best home gym equipment for building muscle. A lot of his friends have started attending gym, but he’s never been interested. It surprised me that he asked for more equipment, but I’m glad he did as it’ll be better for his fitness and confidence. At least the electricity bill will go down!