- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
3rd Trimester
How are you going to deal with this?
Watching CNN right now, they are talking about how children ages 8 - 18 are using the computer/watching tv for an average of 8 hours a day, 52 hours a week. That is crazy to me. How are we going to get our kids away from all of the technology and let them be "kids" i.e. playing outside...?
Also children are losing valuable communication skills bc of new technology (texting) I'm a bit worried because, for example, texting just came about when I was in high school (early 2000s) and I've already lost communication skills because I text so much, I barely want to talk on the phone at all! I'm worried that my kid will be a lot worse because he will be exposed to it so much earlier. What do you think?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: How are you going to deal with this?
On mine? I just clicked it and it worked. The addy is www.ilovekdia.wordpress.com ----> check me out although it's not a baby blog, it's fashion...
I think you just have to stay in control of how much you allow them to be at the TV/Computer, and from an early age promote playing outside. As far as the cell phone/texting thing goes... we probably dont even know what the issues we are going to face by the time our babies are old enough... but you are the parents... it is ok to have rules, you just have to follow them too.
For example, I wont let my kids have cell phones at the table... I think it is rude for them to sit there and text the whole time, plus having them engage in coversations should help with communication skills.
Set limits on these things early & stick to them. Get them involved in outdoor or active things & it won't be a struggle, it will be normal to them.
ETA: Also lead by example. When you are at the park with your child, don't be checking the blackberry. Play with them & show them that you also limit your time in front of the TV and on the computer, etc.
I was thinking the same, about an hour of tv a day or video games. When are you going to start this? I was thinking the younger the better so that they are used to it.
I totally believe those stats. My parents would leave me at home with my older brother after school and during the summer starting when I was 7 and he was 9. (jaw dropper, right?!) and the TV basically babysat us. I remember having to learn about time management in 5th grade and we had to write down what we did during the day and make a chart of our time usage at the end of the week. My TV watching was nearly as high as sleeping. It was ridiculous!
What we've started doing with my SKs is having them spend at least 1 hour alone in their rooms playing and then they can play with each other for however long they want. I've found that the alone time really has helped enhance their imaginations. We also limit TV and Wii time for them. We'll do the same for Darby. I think our biggest solutions are family time and playdates.
It is fairly difficult as a parent to not let your TV be a babysitter. Of course it is possible, but some days are easier than others. We just make sure we don't get into a funk to let that be the norm.
DH and I also talked about this. We were both athletes and will put our children in sports programs at an early age. It was great for my social life and discipline growing up and I hope it will be good for LO as well. We don't watch too much TV so I'm not necessarily worried about that.
What worries me is I can't even do simple math without a calculator. Well, I could, I just don't. I'm gonna have to work really hard to make sure LO learns basic math using common sense and paper and pencil.
I'm confident that my dh and I will be pretty strict with allowing our kids to use electronic and computer devices. DH owns a software company and we're both online and "plugged in" quite a lot, but we also believe strongly that kids need boundaries with this stuff.
We'll limit TV and video game time. I definitely think we'll be parents who wait until giving their kids cell phones until later than a lot of people... I don't know if that means high school or what but it won't be handed to our kids easily. Also, I think first cell phones should be for calls only, no text plans. Of course, we'll see what happens as technology develops.
I definitely don't believe in computers in kids' rooms. One computer in a main room (like the family room) is fine for kids to share. I should be able to see what they're doing online, and they shouldn't be able to log on after bedtime or anything.
I also agree 100% about activity being the most important thing. I think a lot of kids are zoned out in front of TVs and computers b/c they aren't outside playing. Our kids will be outside - that's how we were raised and we'll pass it on.
Our kids are going to hate us. lol
When they are old enough to make a fuss, lol! DH likes his x-box so I already knew this would be a concern. Thank goodness he is on the same page as me. When do they start showing interest in tv? I know someone who's kid started fussing over X-box at three! I am putting my foot down. My parents let me watch tv all day and i was a very very overweight child. They also let me eat whatever. I resent them for that.
I was very involved in activities when I was growing up. I was never over scheduled, but involved in things that I really wanted to be a part of. I never had time to sit around 8 hours a day watching t.v. I want my kids to be involved in actitivites as well. I firmly believe that cuts down on a host of problems. Seriously, I would get home from high school around 4:30 and have to be back for practice from 6:15- 9:30pm. There was enough time for homework and dinner and then I was out again. I hope this will make a difference for my kids too.
The texting is definitely a problem. I'd love to say our dd won't have cell phones until high school, but who knows.
I think about this a lot, and it concerns me too. When I was growing up, I was always outside playing, riding bikes, walking around the neighborhood with friends, etc. Even if nobody was around to hang out, I would rather read books or magazines or do an art project than watch TV. (We also didn't have cable so that might be part of it). I was also in high school in the early 2000s and would sometimes get online and IM with friends after dinner but for the most part, we still called each other and walked to each other's houses and whatnot.
My 12 year old half sister texts and updates her facebook like it's her job. It's ridiculous! DH and I already talked about how that is not what we want for our kids. We want to keep them as active as possible and keep them involved in after school activities, be it sports, dance, drama, whatever interests them. Not only will it keep them active and social, but it will also keep them out of trouble if they don't have all this extra time to waste.
We plan on making homework the first priority, and then sports or whatever second. I think an hour of TV before bed would be acceptable, but we would also like to play board games and do stuff as a family. We will definitely be limiting and monitoring their internet usage, keeping the computer in the living room, and keeping the cell phone/texting usage to a minimum.
I remember getting a cell phone as a freshman. It was purely for calling my parents. I believe I was one of the only kids with one. My kids will definitely not get a cell phone before high school.... if then. Maybe when they are old enough to drive and then they can have one so they can call ICE.
My only question is... what are they going to have in 15 years that we don't have now?! I am positive our parents didn't worry about texting and computer usage. What technology will be out when our kids reach the age of electronic communication?
DS has watched maybe 1 hour of tv total in his life. We made a conscious choice when I was pregnant with him and said no to TV till age 2. Yes, he has seen glimpses here and there and watched 15 minutes of the movie Up about 2 months ago, however we have never put on a baby show (like Baby Einstein or Praise Baby) for him. We don't even own them.
DS has a great imagination! He plays quietly by himself in his room and keeps himself busy. Yes, we still have our days, however, I would rather deal with him getting into stuff (and me having to tell him no) than just sitting in front of a tv for hours on end.
That said, DS has no interest in the TV. DH and I only watch the occasional movie, after DS goes to bed, and to be honest, we have rabbit ears and haven't hooked them back up after we moved last June. I watch my favorite shows online after they have aired.
We have no regrets about our decision and are planning on doing the same with DS2.
Your DH probably won't tell you this, but all systems have a family timer. When our godson comes over we set it for an hour and that is all he is allowed to play. When the hour is up the system automatically logs you off and you have to put in a password to re-start.
I have sense threatened DH with it until he slit his tendon on his thumb and can't play anyways.
We also plan on not letting DS play video games, unless educational, until he is 8.
That's a good idea and we will definitely be doing that! My little sister is in 7th grade and see her status updates and posts at all hours of the night on school nights and I'm thinking "Shouldn't she be asleep?!".
That's also a good point that our poor LOs might not have anyone outside to play with if all the other parents are letting them rot on the couch all day. When I was growing up, it was too easy to find someone to play with. Everyone was out in their yard!
I'm soo glad you're concerned about this. i worry about it everyday. I am a high school teacher and you wouldn't believe the kinds of things kids hand in (written assignments) that are in text lingo. Or the amount of student I have to send to the office during the day because they are texting in class. I graduated high school in 2000 so cell phones were really just starting to become a thing and I don't even think my first phone had texting on it. I like to tell my students though that believe it or not there were emergencies before cell phones and somehow we all survived... LOL!!
DH and I plan on being very on top of LO's TV/computer time usage and monitoring it closely. D even suggested that every Sunday will be "journal" day for LO. We'll give him something to write about and he needs to just sit and write for 30 minutes (less of course when he is younger) and we are going to check it for grammar and spelling issues - simply because we REFUSE to get phone calls from a teacher saying that LO used BC in a paper or U...
Sorry if I ranted a little but you made my day bringing this up!
DH and I are pretty torn on this. He grew up with video games and computers, and a lot of the time he spent with his dad revolved around these things. Naturally, he wants the same for him and his future son.
I, on the other hand, am a little older than him and didn't have those things until high school. I spent the majority of my childhood outside riding my bicycle, climbing trees, playing house in the empty lot, etc. If you look at our kid pictures, I was fit and super tan; DH was an overweight, pasty kid, lol.
The things I will not budge on: 1) Our kids will not have a TV in their bedroom. Ever. 2) Our kids will not have a computer in their bedrooms until maaaaybe high school. Even this makes me uncomfortable, but DH feels so strongly about letting each family member have their "own" computer... I know it is something we'll have to compromise on. At least, like a pp said, DH is a tech nerd and he'll know how to monitor what websites they're going on, how long they're chatting, etc. 3) Our kids will not have cell phones until they have a driver's license. There's just no need for them until then. We'll have a house phone and LO's friends can call our house the old-fashioned way.
I just plan on starting outdoor and extracurricular activities as early as possible... hopefully the kids will latch on to these kinds of hobbies and never be that interested in the TV. The hardest part will be DH and I pulling *ourselves* away from the TV and computers in order to lead by example!
ETA: Forgot to mention the giant collection of books I already have available for LO to peruse no matter what his age, LOL. I hope he takes after Mommy and takes more interest in reading than video games!
My parents have four kids under the age of 18 and they limit their computer time to 30/day. I like that and will probably do the same for my kids. But I forgot to previously mention the issue I have with iPods/players with headphones. I think kdis (and some adults) are so rude these days with the way they use them.
I remember having CD players/walkmans as teen, but I only used them when walking or when studying alone. But I see so many people these days that have headphones on around other people - be it at home doing chores or something, in the car, or even at the office (when they are in a customer service role). I think that is horribly rude and have already told my siblings that as soon as they get in my car the headphones come off. For my kids, they will be limited on how much they use players and will have a "no headphone" policy when in the presence of others.
I think my kids will hate us for that, but I want them to be courteous and available to communicate/listen when they need to.
We don't have cable and won't be getting it. Simple as that. Of course he'll be allowed to watch a movie, etc. from time to time later on, but DH and I are both of the opinion that there is no valid reason for a pre-verbal kid to be parked in front of a TV screen. I get a lot of flames for this IRL from moms who "couldn't survive without Barney helping at least 2 hours a day" (actual direct quote!), but whatever, we're sticking to our guns on this one.
As far as cell phones and video games, he won't get the former until he's in his teens and if he wants to play the latter he'll have to share the xbox with his dad, so I'll let them work that out!
We live on a big wooded lot on a lake and have 2 dogs and 2 horses, so there certainly won't be a shortage of things to do outside.
Some ideas we're using:
Only having 2 TVs in the house (one for DH's video games, the other for general use)
Only 2 computers (my laptop his desktop)
Only 2 cell phones (his and mine)
when the kids are old enough to start asking for their own we'll explain, no computer till your academic course load necessitates it. no cell phones till you are driving. no tv in your room, ever.
We live in a really great community, kids are always outside playing.
In the winter the TV use goes way up but in the spring, summer and fall the whole neighborhood is outside enjoying themselves. DS asks to go outside all the time, he doesn't really ask for TV.