Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

I don't want to be a bad mom, but... [how to limit son's time on iMac]

karinatwork said:
5 months later, we are desperate. I don't want to take the control away from him, but I need to be able to limit his computer time.
Click to expand...

IMHO, you're going to have to face this one head-on and take control away from him.
If there is limitations set by parental controls he is still going to be upset and you're going to have to deal with those questions.
Once time limits are set and are followed by parents and child it won't be such a big deal any longer, it is that changing phase going from unlimited to limited but once you get through that, that will be normal rather than him being on it constantly is the current normal.

My daughter had her own computer at 10 but there were times when she could use it established and things were ... ok at first. The problem was her staying on it too late, a few years later, like your 12 yr old, problem was I was expecting her to do what was asked without ever checking up on her. Kids will test the limits of what they can do until they are stopped. Once I let her know that if I could not trust her to be off the computer by 9pm then I would take the power cord for 3 days. That only had to happen once, as soon as she saw I meant what I told her, she didn't test me anymore. Even now as a senior in HS she's usually off by 9 or barely after that on her own.

You're definitely not a bad mom by setting any restriction even though he "may" make you feel like one but again, children are going to test your parenting. Just don't get upset, be firm.
 
Last edited:
mmomega said:
Just don't get upset, be firm.
Click to expand...

Exactly! You're not being unreasonable, and you're not being mean. You are the parent. You are supposed to have a broader view of the world than your twelve year old child, and you are making decisions for the longer-term good that he is incapable of making.

Talk with him, set the rules, explain what the consequences will be if they are not followed. If he breaks the rule, he gets the consequence. The choice falls on him. Think back to the parenting you had to do when he was three. This is basically the same thing, only he's smarter and can use more words now. :)
 
dejo said:
If that's truly the case, then tell him there's a new rule that he can't use his computer for more than n hours per day or after a certain hour or however you want to limit him. Then he'll follow the rule, yeah?
Click to expand...

My brother set a weekly limit on hours for his son. The kid could use the hours within certain bounds (i.e. no late nights), but otherwise could burn them or save them at his discretion. I don't recall if rollover was allowed. Anyway, my nephew fairly quickly realized that he had to plan things with his friends, and not waste the time during the week, in order to have hours left by the weekend. It also turned into a reward/punishment system, where he lost or gained blocks of time for his actions. I once joked to my brother that he needed to set up a spreadsheet, at which point he silently showed me he already had one.
 
karinatwork said:
You hit the nail on the head with that.

And maybe I am getting some people mad at me for saying that, but I'm sure that while the world is full with people who have accomplished a lot because of the time they spent on a computer when they were young, but the world is fuller with people who have not accomplished anything because of the time they spent on a computer when they were young.

----------



How do I do that? I know there is a way I can schedule WiFi time with the airport utility, but I don't know of any countdown timer that does the same.
Click to expand...



This can be set in the router:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back