My kids are 5 and 7 and I'm struggling. They get 1 hour on weekdays but they're constantly asking for more. My wife does an extra 30 mins on Friday nights and now they think every night is negotiable. What limits are you actually enforcing and does your spouse agree with you or are you fighting about it too?
This is literally what I deal with every single day. One hour feels like nothing to them but also feels too much to me if that makes sense. I've been trying to be more structured about it, like specific times rather than a total pool.
5 and 7 is that sweet spot where they know how to work you. Constant asking is the game. I set a timer and when it goes off we're done, no negotiating. Sounds harsh but it actually worked.
1 hour on weekdays sounds reasonable to me. My kids are younger so we're not there yet but I've heard from other parents that the asking never really stops, it just changes how they ask.
We do weekday and weekend limits that are different which helps. Weekdays they know it's strict, weekends we're a bit looser. Doesn't stop the negotiating though.
The constant asking is the worst part right? My 6yo asks me literally 30 seconds after his time is up. We've tried timers, visual countdowns, everything. Still working on what actually sticks.
I feel like 1 hour is pretty solid honestly. The asking for more is just part of it I guess. Have you tried letting them earn extra time with chores or something?
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The constant asking is the worst part. My kids do the same thing. I started using a visual timer they can see so there's no argument about time being up.