How to give your child a happy childhood? - Part 1: An evening together without electronic devices

tuổi thơ - Ảnh 1. — Ms. Ngoc spends time playing with her children to limit their exposure to electronic devices - Photo: NVCC

Some people have decided to find their children a new living space where they feel their children are happy.

"My husband and I limit using our phones or surfing the internet at night when our children are at home," said Nguyen Thi Ngoc, a communications officer at a private school in Hanoi , with two children of primary and secondary school age.

Children have a lot of stories to tell their parents about school, it's just a matter of whether parents have the time to listen and are patient enough.

Ms. NGUYEN THI NGOC

"Evening Combo"

Admitting that she cannot do anything great for her children but only tries to do small things, Ms. Ngoc shared: "I do not let my children take extra classes because they have been studying at school all day and have studied too much. We spend as much time as possible in the evening or on holidays for parents and children to be together. In the evening after meals, the children study by themselves. Then we have some time to talk and play together. My husband and I also rarely use the phone or go online in the evening when the children are at home, except for special occasions.

Usually every night I have a call to my parents and can connect them to talk to the grandchildren. After that, I will not use the phone. I do the work or personal discussions during the day, when the children are at school."

Ms. Ngoc believes that when parents do not use their phones or surf the internet just to read news or chat, they still have a lot of time to talk, play or do something with their children. Her family's evenings are spent cooking together, cleaning the house, reading books or simply talking.

"Children have a lot of things to tell their parents about school, it's just a matter of whether parents have the time to listen and have enough patience. For example, the teacher confiscating a teddy bear during lunch break, the teacher praising classmate A, and even the arguments, joys or sorrows between children and their friends.

My son is very "principled" with the after-dinner combo of brushing his teeth, drinking warm water before going to bed, chatting, listening to his parents read books. Those are our evenings of saying no to electronic devices," Ms. Ngoc recounted.

Ngoc's family's evening combo is really not a "small thing" that many parents today will find difficult to do. Adults will have many reasons from solving work to maintaining relationships with partners, even relieving stress. And of course, with children, they also have reasons such as "Gen Z must be good at technology", "preventing children from being exposed to technology will make them fall behind".

Talking about this, Ms. Ngoc said: "I only create a space without electronic devices when at home, when my parents and children are together."

She said: "I once transferred my child to another school because he came home crying when he felt isolated from his classmates. His classmates often talked about TikTok while he just read books. Things became more worrying when he was so stressed that he had a stomach ache.

Luckily, in the new school, reading culture is emphasized. I have friends who share my interest in reading. But besides that, my children also learn about technology. They have classes using artificial intelligence (AI) for learning, and they design games. And because they design, I understand the advantages and disadvantages of games.

Every day at school, my child uses Microsoft Teams following the teacher's instructions to study. I know that I cannot forbid children from using electronic devices in general or playing games or going online in particular.

But I want to guide my children to moderation and efficiency. To accompany them, I attend talks with them or watch programs that teach positive Internet usage. I ask my children to teach me how to use AI while we discuss how to use it positively.

tuổi thơ - Ảnh 2. — Bringing children close to nature - Photo: NVCC

Space of trees and recycled items

The special thing that Ms. Ngoc described about her family space is that she makes use of old and recycled items. Not only clothes but also household items. For example, old pots and pans that are no longer used are turned into toy boxes.

"It's not that we don't have money to buy new things, but we think that's enough, we don't want to buy too many new things, too much. It's a waste of money and makes the house cramped. Excess is also harmful to the living environment when it produces a lot of waste. And we want our living habits and what we do to affect our children. Children follow their parents so they always have the habit of turning off the lights when not needed, saving water.

"My mother and I often look for places to send discarded cans, and sometimes exchange them for plants to display on the balcony," Ngoc explained, adding that she is planning to make an indoor "garden" made from an old tent. "We will buy plants that can be kept in the room and let the children take care of them every day."

Summer Gift

Going out together is also a small effort - Ms. Ngoc shared. If Dad is busy, the mother and children can take the bus, ride a bike somewhere or simply wake up early to go to the park and enjoy watching cicadas molt. But according to Ms. Ngoc, trips back to the countryside in the summer are the real gift that she always tries to give her children.

She said: "Back home, children are usually only allowed to watch TV for one hour a day. The rest of the time they can read books, run around, try cooking with the help of adults, and most importantly, explore the " world " around them.

To keep the children away from the TV, I take them out into the garden. Watching plants sprout, watching worms, spiders, and slugs emerge from their shells and move about. Some days, just following the path of a millipede is a joy.

I am also not afraid that children will get dirty playing in the dirt. I find the dirt cleaner than the chemical-laden environment in the city, so sometimes the children are allowed to go out to the garden to plant trees, or build fences with bricks...

The kids had other fun experiences during the summer. One time they wanted to earn money to buy tickets to see an idol singer who was performing nearby. They came up with the idea of selling homemade yogurt bags.

The first day of selling was a failure because the yogurt had no label and was not preserved properly, so it turned out soggy. I showed the kids how to preserve it and how to "market" it. The second day, they sold 100 bags. That made the kids very excited. Even though by the time the singer's show started, the kids still hadn't earned enough money for tickets, they were very happy because they had almost reached their goal.

Ms. Ngoc is planning to build a playground with the children in her hometown. She shared that her hometown is not poor, so many families also buy a lot of electronic devices. Not only adults but also children use phones with games or internet connection, but there is a lack of playgrounds for children to play together.

"I tried to contact some places to make community playgrounds but the cost was too high so I had to postpone the plan. I decided to choose the method of making my own by utilizing recycled materials, limiting new purchases and importantly, guiding the children to participate in making their own playground.

I am currently planning to buy old car tires for 2,000-2,500 VND each and then ask for paint to decorate and design swings, seats, and places for children to climb. How to make children exercise more, play with each other more than playing with machines is still something we should think about," said Ms. Ngoc.

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Currently living and working in Hanoi, Ms. Giang discussed with her husband about moving back to the countryside because she wanted to pursue the values needed for her children.

Next: Moving back to the countryside

VINH HA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lam-the-nao-cho-con-tuoi-tho-hanh-phuc-ky-1-buoi-toi-ben-nhau-khong-thiet-bi-dien-tu-20251017215246789.htm