I have very radical ideas about "screen time" (which I think is a ridiculous term--no one ever uses the term "book time", and if they do they're probably sucking all the fun out of everything for their kid).

I believe that in the context of a healthy, balanced, engaged life, no recreational activity should be off-limits, nor limited by extrinsic circumstances. (extrinsic=you didn't eat your broccoli--no guitar hero for you. intrinsic=you can't play guitar hero and go to swim practice at the same time.)

I believe that all children learn from everything they do, including video games (even the slasher ones), movies, television, and playing outside.

I believe that if a child is intensely focusing on one activity over and over to the exclusion of everything else, they are either very passionate about that one thing, or--in the case of overscheduled kids who spend most of their days in school or daycare and after-school classes--are likely escaping and avoiding something else. In the first case, who can argue with someone who's found a personal passion? In the second case, the activity is not the problem--something else is. A good parent would find out what that something else is, wouldn't they?

Karen