Moms Talk is a Patch forum in which we ask members of Patch communities across the Lehigh Valley to weigh in on an issue that affects parents, children of all ages, and, quite frankly, people in general. You don’t have to be a Mom, or even a parent, to have an opinion on our Moms Talk topic of the week. And, we, in fact, encourage people of all genders, ages and life situations to share their thoughts on our weekly Moms Talk question in the comments section below so that our “discussion” can become as broad and, hopefully, as useful as possible.

In this week’s Moms Talk, we’re exploring tips for controlling screen time and taming the TV monster:

It’s a topic that comes up in just about every parenting circle. And, as our lives become more and more technology-laden, it’s a topic that comes up among parents of younger and younger children. In this week’s Moms Talk, we’re looking for ideas for controlling and regulating screens of all sorts, for children of all ages. Some parents give their kids three coupons per week redeemable for one-hour of video-gaming time each. When the three coupons are gone, the game time is finished until the next week. Others allow each child to choose one half-hour TV show per day. Some caregivers allow hand-held video games for long car rides but never in the home. Still others let the screens be a free-for-all – as long as chores and homework is done, the kids can do whatever they like for as long as they like.

Now we want to know your thoughts:

What are your tips for “taming the TV monster?”

And, remember, you don’t have to be a parent to have a good suggestion.

Do you have an idea for a future Moms Talk topic? Email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.