Before you kick him off the computer let him know
"You have 30 minutes left - better start thinking about what you wanna do after computer's off"
And if he says "aw but mooooom" then suggest some ideas.
He'll probably either argue with you when the time comes to get off (but you told him!) or he'll know what he wants to do when it ends or he'll get distracted with thinking about these new ideas and lose the game/get frustrated with it because he's distracted by real life plannings / ideas.
Or introduce a new gadget or puzzle. A rubix cube might be too much for an 8 year old, but maybe a starwars jigsaw puzzle or something up his alley - a new "special interest" idea; one that you'd rather get him hooked on than the computer.
It might work, it might not. Try it for a few weeks and see if it ends up easing the situation?
_________________
By simply doing what they are designed to do something large and magnificient happens. In this sense they show us how to live; The only barometer you have is your heart. When you spot your flower, you can't let anything get in your way. - John Laroche
18 Jul 2011, 12:30 pm
