How do I get my 2 year old to stop using phones/computers/TV all the time? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Chris Lynam, father of three, on Quora:
Have you heard the expression "hard reset"?
One summer, after my parents finally caved in, we had cable. This was a big deal. We had everything a kid in the 1980's could want TV-wise. And then the unthinkable happened. Not only was the cable gone ... the TV was gone, too. As an eight year old kid, I immediately went to the most likely conclusion: it was a burglary!
We looked everywhere for answers. We found them in the garage. Our mom was there, unloading boxes. "Where's the TV?" we asked. "We sold it," she said.
After a minor nuclear meltdown, we asked why. "It's summer. If you want to stay inside, you can look at these." She motioned to the boxes. Inside was the greatest collection of classic books you could imagine: Peter Pan, Tom Sawyer, you name it. "You can play outside, or you can read."
Now, I'd like to say that I read the entire collection that summer as an eight year old literary prodigy. What I did do was play outside every live-long day. We put more mileage on our bikes than most paperboys, we went on hikes, chased the ice cream man, and had a failed attempt at our first garage sale (selling the old books). Eventually, my siblings and I found 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and many more classics. We were hooked. We came closer together. The "hard reset" gave us the best summer we'd ever had.
That fall, my parents split up. We took it hard, but it didn't break us. We had bonded through the stories, games, bikes, forts, and activity together. No TV, even with cable, could have matched that.
I'd recommend a hard reset. The rewards outweigh the risk ... by about 20,000 leagues.