<p>Answer: No computer in room & no TV's either...only purchased a home computer about 7 yrs ago and have it in a the family room. Kids are still grade school age, but I don't forsee letting them have computers or TV's in their room.</p>
<p>Two computers in the study/family room- 1 of which is old and slow.</p>
<p>First come, first served for the kids for homework/IM use, with alot of negotiating going on between them (I think that's good for them!) for the good computer.</p>
<p>No phones or TVs in rooms- just one TV the house (house of dinosaurs, my S says!)</p>
<p>The 2 phones are of the portable variety. We're constantly pressing that "find" button on the base to locate a phone! Typically, it's under a pillow somewhere on the couch, or occassionally under the pile of 45 wet towels on the floor of my dd's room! Grrrrrrr!!!!
We're like a bunch of scurrying mice when the phone rings sometimes- it would be a hilarious view of our family to an outsider! "WHERE'S THE PHONE"!!! scurry, scurry, scurry!!!</p>
<p>Good thing the PCs AREN'T laptops, and the TV can't walk!</p>
<p>We were very opposed to S and D having computers or TVs in their rooms. First, when they were little, we sometimes put them on time-outs in their rooms (or grounding when they were a bit older). If there had been TVs or computers in there, it would have defeated the purpose. In fact, S would have thought yippeee, nobody to bug me while I play computer games during my punishment. </p>
<p>Second, we didn't want to encourage them to isolate themselves from the rest of the family. S was a computer enthusiast from a very early age (like 2) and we would have almost certainly never seen him from the age of 8 to 17 if we'd allowed a computer in his room. D also spends a lot of time now doing MySpace and IMing friends, downloading music. We have her computer in the downstairs family room.</p>
<p>Finally, we like to think of bedrooms as areas of retreat, where you can unplug from the rest of the world to think, dream, read books, etc... You can certainly do that with a computer and tv, if you have the discipline not to turn it on everytime you go in the room. We think that kind of discipline takes years to learn and appreciate, so we said no to the electronics in the rooms (same with our own bedroom).</p>
<p>As a teacher, I see a lot of very sleep-deprived 6th graders. When I ask them why they don't go to bed earlier, they invariably say they were watching TV in their rooms (or playing computer/video games). I know from experience you can be sucked into watching hours of TV even when you are very tired. Whereas if you were trying to read or just listening to music, you would fall asleep within 10 minutes. There's something about TV and computers that is addictive.</p>
<p>I'm a computer freak...well, computer networking actually. I already have my Novell NetWare certifications, getting MCP and Linux+ and have 2 semesters to go of Cisco; got to finish that up in college. I can't live without a computer in my room, it's too straining on me. :-p</p>
<p>In my house, even though I am not the parent, I built the computers that we now have in my room and my younger sister's room. Before that, we had a family desktop (Compaq Presario from 1998), and a Compaq Presario 2100 series notebook (2003 model). I had to convince my parents that, if I can build it then I can have it...so I spent about $1400 to get top of the line parts for my computer and bought the desk and set up a wireless network throughout the house, encorporating WEP encryption and doing the same a year later for my sister. </p>
<p>I'm planning now to have a server in my room before I leave for college, just so that I can save documents from school to home and so my family can save their things there as well.</p>
<p>Ok,</p>
<p>I guess I get the bad parent award as daughter has had her own computer in her room since first grade (it was more of a necessity since they were using computers in school and I used my computer for work/school). And yep she has had a TV/VRC/dvd/ cable/ stereo and an extension phone in her room forever (my sister used to say that she needed to live as good as D did in her room and what would be the point in grounding her and sending her to her room- but when she was grounded everything got disconnected). It would have killed her to take the books off of the shelf because she used to read a book a day.</p>
<p>what I found out is that she never was a big tv person, so it was hardly every on unless one of my nieces slept over, she's wasn't a big phone person other than talking to the friends about homework assignments/group projects. There was a brief phase during middle school when you would walk in her room and everything was playing (tv's stero, on the phone, computer, but 'doing homework") thankfully it passes quickly.</p>
<p>At school she does not have a TV, and just recently plugged in the phone in her room (1 and 1/2 years later) she calls on her cell phone as she is walking across campus.</p>
<p>when she comes home, she still does not watch a lot of TV, does not do a lot of talking on the phone but is joined at the hip by her computer as she chats with her friends.</p>
<p>My D got her first laptop as a freshman in HS, 5 years ago. I told her point blank, I wouldn't even be considering it were it not for her stellar grades and citizenship. We had no problems at all. Her laptop was her constant companion. She named it and took it everywhere. Her new laptop has a name as well. I think it depends on the kid. I had very few, very simple rules for her. She just didn't need them. And yes, she had the TV and phone too. At college, she has the laptop and DVD rentals (Netflicks subscription for Christmas).</p>
<p>No computers or TV's in bedrooms except for the college age kids, and a TV in my bedroom.</p>
<p><<It would have killed her to take the books off of the shelf because she used to read a book a day.</p>
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<p>Sybbie, you just reminded me of a time when we had to ground our S at age 7 or 8 for doing something very disresctful. He was a huge reader and seemed happy to be sent to his room where he could just read away and not think about what he'd done or even feel any discomfort at all. H and I decided we had to take all of his books out to really make our point. It took about 10 trips in a laundry basket to get them all downstairs. He was screaming like we were pulling out his fingernails: "not my books! They're mine!!!" It's funny now, but at the time, I felt like maybe we really were going to damage him. (The point was made though, and he never had to have that level of punishment -- an empty room -- again). :)</p>
<p>We could "afford" to let our kids have computers/TV's in their rooms, but we do not allow it. It has nothing to do with trust in the sense that we don't think they would look at porno online or watch age inappropriate TV. However, the computer and TV are what we in the legal profession call "an attractive nuisance." So, out of sight, out of mind. My oldest is a junior in college and he bought his own laptop when he went to college. Of course he has that in his room when he comes home now.</p>
<p>I think it interferes with making the bedroom a "sanctuary" so while everyone has to tippie toe around D when she is doing her homework on the living room sofa instead of in her bedroom, I don't force her to work at her desk.
I enjoy watching DVDs on my laptop in bed but I wouldn't have a tv in there, because I ascribe to the belief that bedrooms are for sleeping and reading and um adult activities.</p>
<p>galway mom - we can totally relate to losing the phone- we have only one landline phone but are always trying to locate it , the cell phones are even worse because they are smaller and likely to be in a bathrobe pocket or underneath a stack of papers-</p>
<p>Each of mine have their own computer and tv in their rooms with the understanding that grades and homework will be maintained.</p>
<p>Computers: In a word, No. S (hs senior) and D (hs frosh) share a computer with me, which is in my office on the second level of the house. It can be a pain in the neck at times (especially when they bog down my system with iTunes), but I'm one of those cold-hearted types who doesn't think that kids should always get what they want (read: computers, TVs w/ cable in their bedrooms). I'm funny that way. S had an old laptop in his room a few years ago that he destroyed when he spilled water on it, despite many warnings not to eat or drink at his desk. We didn't replace it.</p>
<p>My husband has a laptop with a DSL line in his home office, and we let one of the kids use it when both need a computer for school work.</p>
<p>Each kid does have a small color TV that only gets local channels over the air. They can watch DVDs by using their PS2s (D got her brother's hand-me-down system when he bought a new one last year), but they don't do that often.</p>
<p>I also have another D (age 7), who actually has a computer in her room. My husband set her up with an old laptop so that she could play games without jockeying w/ her bro and sis for computer time (she can't go online as there's no phone jack in her room). The laptop runs on Windows XP, and I was surprised that I was able to load a lot of my older kids' games (from 1995 and up) and get them to work. My 7-y-o doesn't have a TV. </p>
<p>My older kids and I enjoy a lot of the same TV shows (24, West Wing, House) and we like to watch them together in the family room. I like being a mom to teens, and I like spending time with them. Yesterday afternoon my daughter was flipping around and stumbled across "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." She hadn't seen it before, but I told her she'd like it and we watched it together. It was a nice couple of hours we were able to share. If she'd been watching TV upstairs in her room, I'd have missed that.</p>
<p>My kids grumble some (everybody else had cable in their rooms...yada, yada, yada), but not really so much. </p>
<p>My husband and I do have TV w/ cable in our bedroom because we like to watch The Daily Show and Colbert Report before we go to bed.</p>
<p>Further evidence that we live in the stone age: my computer is still on dial-up.</p>
<p>ya know dial up isn't that bad if I really need something faster I can use the free wireless at the neighborhood library or at the coffee shop</p>
<p>I forgot to say this in my other post--I may have my own laptop, but I've never had a TV in my room, nor have I owned video games. I don't actually watch TV at all... I've just never been interested. (Honestly? I'd rather read...)</p>
<p>well, i have a computer, television, and DVD player in my room, but i also spend time with my siblings (when they aren't at college) and my parents...</p>
<p>We are a pretty old fashioned family I think. We have 2 computers with DSL - one in the family room and one in the living room. The college kids have laptops and use the wireless in the house, so they can go wherever they like. But we never considered letting the kids have computers in their rooms. </p>
<p>No TVs either. We have one TV in the family room and that didn't have cable until this past August when the youngest became a high school senior. We have one cell phone that we use for emergencies.</p>
<p>The kids are all avid readers and we have a close family. I have no regrets. I don't think they were at all deprived and they never asked to have their own computers, or a TV or a cell phone. My college senior finally got a cell this year when he moved into an apartment and found it cheaper and easier than a land line. He and his roommate have a TV but no cable and no reception. They only use it to watch DVDs.</p>
<p>My kids do have computers in their own rooms, which I agree is not for everyone. It does depends on the kid. If they are self-motivated, doing well, getting good grades, connected to the family and not always isolated in their rooms, it is a much different call than for a kid for whom those things do not apply. When they were younger we had the strongest possible filtering software, and even software that allowed us to see exactly where they had been online. We also never allowed them to join sites like MySpace or Xanga. </p>
<p>No TVs in the room, - they simply never asked and don't watch too much TV. S used to be huge into video games. I think we've had every major game system, but thank goodness he grew out of that - he got too busy with school and activities. Cell phones, yes, since middle school for safety considering all the out of town bus trips they both took for sports activities. Never used them for just chatting with friends, though. To this day, their friends still call the house because their cell phones are supposed to get turned off once they are home.</p>
<p>We have a computer in our extra bedroom (my office), one in each kid's bedroom, and one in the kitchen (laptop...that one "roams"). All are networked. Printer is in my office. Right now, DD's computer is not working, and DS's computer is with him at college. We do not have TVs in any of the bedrooms. In fact...talk about old fashioned...we only have ONE TV in the whole house....in the family room.</p>
<p>So far it seems as though the vote is split. That is what I expected. Someone recently told me that "no teenager" uses the computer in a common space, and I was surprised to hear that. Ours always gravitated to the center of the house (around the kitchen) and they continue to do so when they are home.</p>
<p>We have 3 computers in an office right off the kitchen. All monitors face the french doors (users' backs are to the door-glass;)) D got a laptop for college, and now it travels around the house with her. 3 TVs in the house are located in the basement, family room and master bedroom, where the master usually snores and dribbles to CNN. No TV's in kids' rooms, nor have they asked. We love it when they snuggle up on the couch to watch shows with us.</p>