You might have heard me mention this before. My gf is the legal gaurdian of her little brother and sister. They are 14 and 16. By default, I have become the other parental figure in their lives. They lost both of their parents and my gf and I are trying our best to navigate this new path. I love them both and fully embrace our disfunctional little family. They have been learning at home since March. Like many others, it hasn’t been much of a summer. I suppose we run into a lot of the same issues that other parents come across. Too much electronics, not enough exercise, and a horrible work ethic when it comes to household chores.
We have tried taking away their electronics when they don’t do things in a timely manner, miss asignments, or display a poor attitude. Last night, we implemented The Box.
Week nights at 10pm, we take the video games, connector wires, controllers, lap tops (save for their school issued chromebooks), and cell phones. The box is then locked. Their sister and I each have a key.Theyget their phones back in the morning for school and in case of emergency. When she gets home from work, provided their school work and chores are complete, she unlocks the box and allows them time with their electronics.
On the weekends, the box goes away for a couple of days. Right now, they HATE us for this.
Is this a bad way to parent?
