Used to be, we put limits on screen time. Screen time included television, computers, videos, and video games. We didn't have smart phones back then. Half hour a day when the kids were really little. Around fourth or fifth grade, we upped it to an hour.
I believe it was Emma's sophomore year in high school that we took away the screen time limits, thinking that they should have an opportunity to learn how to manage their time while they were still living at home with adult guidance. I thought about my friend Sarah, how she never had a t.v. in the house growing up, and had to go to the neighbors to watch Saturday Night Live or Dallas so she could keep up with the conversations at school. Once she grew up and got out on her own, she really, really liked to watch t.v.
Batteries are necessary for remote controls. Once we took away the screen time limits, all of a sudden, we began going through AA alkaline batteries. According to the EPA, batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which contaminates the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of.
I am fortunate because I can take them to work, throw them in an eight gallon plastic bucket with a lot of other used batteries, and they will magically be properly disposed of. However, not much in alkaline batteries can be recycled. At one point, we did buy a charger and rechargable batteries. Much better for the environment, but somehow, that system broke down.
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