Media Overload

A recent USA Today article reports that kids are less happy as they're more plugged in to media, from cellphones and iPods to TV and video games. To me the numbers in this story make me more skeptical than anything (for example, in this study, a "heavy user" was consuming media content for 16 hours or more in a day - when is there time to sleep?) but it reinforces my resolution to read more to the kids. Since I'm already slacking off, perhaps this story will serve as a good scare tactic. (Maybe I should turn off the computer myself.)

Resolutions

The Washington Post's On Parenting blog has a helpful post on new year's resolutions for parenting. I think all five are noble goals, particularly spending more time with the children. My only quibble, though, is the lack of concrete steps on sticking with those resolutions. Yes, the author says she will spend less time on e-mail and Facebook, but will she put time limits on those activities? How will she achieve it?

Personally, I'd like to read more to my kids. I used to read to Alex much more often, and I read to Alex and Rob much more than I have to Matt.

How can I make this happen? Old Wahoo vows to read to Matt every morning when we get home from dropping the big kids off at school, and I'll read an extra story to the kindergartner after lunch every day. As for the oldest, I'm not sure what to do. Any thoughts?

And any thoughts/suggestions on your own resolutions? How are you going to follow through?