I feel like my kids (9yo boy, 12yo girl) are wasting their time all day. Now, of course, this is my failing as a parent, but it isn't for lack of trying. I engage with them often, when I'm not at work. We play D&D, read as a group, watch new and old movies, play video games, go to parks, I take interest in their interests (which aren't many things beyond tiktok and a couple of webcomics), and so on.

The problem is when I'm gone, they sit in their room and watch youtube and tv all day. They seem to have no drive and minimal interest in exploring and seeking new knowledge beyond what I force on them. They very much enjoy the creative activities we do together, but not on their own.

I don't even mind the constant use of technology. I grew up as a computer addicted nerd and I spent most of my time chatting with people, learning about all sorts of subjects and topics, fixing hardware, because I couldn't buy new things, and inadvertently learning how computers work by either trying to fix viruses or downloading pirated games.

We are a very limited income family, so extracurricular activities are out of the question, as there is no money to invest in those sadly.