Ever Done A Media Fast With Your Kids?

Mark

Mark

Ever Done A Media Fast With Your Kids?

When my children would go on Missions Trips they were required by our youth pastor to go on a media fast. The youth pastor beleived that they needed to get away from worldly influence in order to prepare and hear from God.

They would have very, very powerful results while on these trips.

Has anyone else had experience with a child on a media fast?
 
I can testify that one of the best times my family has had was when the tv was broken. We attempt to have at least one day a week with no electronics.
 
A year or so ago we did no TV during the week for a month or so. I have mixed emotions about it. My husband was actually the one that had the hardest time with the no TV rule. The problem was we wound up Tivo'ing so many programs that we went on overload on the weekends.

When I can see that my kids are becoming couch potatoes I get out the TV jar. It is a jar of craft sticks (two colors). Each stick is worth 30 minutes of tv time and each kid has their own color. Some weeks they might get 5 hours of tv a week, the next week they might get an hour and the next week they might get 10. Educational programs do not count against their time. When the sticks are gone, the TV goes off.
 
Shannon,

Sounds like a great program! When my children were in elementary school they had to read one hour in order to watch 30 minutes of tv. It had to be apporved and typically from Friday after school - Sunday. For a short while we allowed our son to read to your youngest and "paid" him 30 minutes of tv for just 30 minutes of reading to her. We loved it and together with allowing them to stay up an "extra" 30 minutes to read in bed if they were brused and flushed and in pj's before official bedtime - they all four became good readers.
 
It worked out really well for us (and still does when we break it out). We are thinking about doing something similar for the computer now.
 
Mark said:
When my children would go on Missions Trips they were required by our youth pastor to go on a media fast. The youth pastor beleived that they needed to get away from worldly influence in order to prepare and hear from God.

They would have very, very powerful results while on these trips.

Has anyone else had experience with a child on a media fast?
Click to expand...

Dear Mark,

May God be with you!

We do something like that - No TV or Computer during the school week. Their attention really goes up and so do the level of conversations. However, it is not a "fast" in the sense you give up something for the greater Glory of God.

I may introduce that idea into our school week schedule. I like anything that keeps the girls thinking about Jesus and being like Him.

Great idea! Thanks!

God bless you!
 
We have never done a "tv fast" but in our home we have no cable. Where we live, having no cable = no tv. :p Before bed, the boys like to watch 1 movie, and our daughter enjoys reading.

Other than education, the kids get to use the internet for about 2-3 hours a week. Earlier today my oldest was playing in the arcade on this forum, so now I am getting some high scores. :D Give her a few years and she will probably be joining the forum.
 
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