You guys are amazing!! Little kids with cell phones and mp3 players?! Incredible! I have some serious doubts about that sort of thing. Children just have simple difficulties with attaching value and worth to an object like that. The electronic devices I own (including my Axim) were all bought an paid for with my money. That's ALWAYS what my parents drilled into me. You can have it once you pay for it. I'm sure that most of you noticed how expensive these gadgets can be as soon as you got a job so that you could start buying them. Is there ANYBODY here who knows what I'm talking about? Just handing an iPod to a little kid doesn't give him the slightest CLUE about what kind of work goes into such an item. Perhaps I'm wrong, let's see what everybody else has to say.
Matt
I kinda have mixed views on this! While I've always been brought up to respect and value items bought for you, I dont think I ever really started to until I started buying things for myself, and having to pay to get something fixed, repair or maintained! Having said that, I don't believe in keeping kids away from this kind of technology! It might be our present, but its their future after all!
well, i'm so old we didn't even have a microwave growing up
but when our son was growing up we didn't go overboard but he got certain things for birthdays, Christmas etc.
He got his old school Nintendo system when he was four (I loved watching him play Duck Hunt :p ) I've actually lost track of all the gaming systems he's gotten over the years but it kind of planed out when he got older. I think the last thing he got was GameCube a couple of years ago. I know we skipped a couple platforms like PS2 because he just didn't seem interested in it (fine by me!)
He got his first "computer" when he was five years old (1991). It was by V-tech and it was basically a keyboard that plugged into your television. It still had word processing, a perpetual calendar and a few other basic programs. He even had an old dot matrix printer. He didn't get his first "real" computer until his 13th birthday.
My problem with that boy & electronics is the fact that he has absolutely no respect for the equipment or how much it all costs... he spills, steps on, wears out cables, loses keyboard buttons (I STILL haven't figured that one out!) *sigh*
He's 19 and in college and complaining to me that the power supply on his 5150 laptop needs to be soldered, his Dell DJ is only putting out sound on one side and his digital camera has a focus error.
my parents make me pay for most of the electronics i get and i have to pay my cell phone bill, that prevents kids from gettting spoiled. but as for the ipod thing if they buy it then they would have more respect for it, and what 6 year old need to have 30gigs of music anyway!?
if they buy the gadget theyll have more respect for its value, but i dont think that you cant buy your kid anything. just have them pay for more stuff than what you give them.
One of the guys that used to work with me used to build pcs. He got came home one day and tried to start a program. No luck. He found his 1year old son had figured out how to start the pc and rename things. In self defense he finally made his son a pc and gave it to him. By the time the child was 3 he was getting rid of a lot of educational software that was designed for preschool and school age kids. Spoiled kid?? Maybe so but I bet that child will make a great programmer some day. I'm old enough that TV was just starting out in black & white when I was a kid. I have a much harder time learning new gadgets than my grandchildren but I do learn and right now I know more than they or my kids do.
I read an article several years ago written by someone studying childhood development, mostly he was looking at computers and children. His findings were that most grade school children (up to 5th grade) do not benefit from early use of computers.
I think the major finding was that it took away the kids abilities to do certain things without the access of a computer, like finding information in the library, and even impared their ability to learn to print and write (because they would type instead).
My son is two and a half, and he plays some games over the internet (sitting on mom or dad's lap, to get to the games, and then tell him what keys to press).
I am not sure what we will be doing as he grows up, but I can see he is more creative and seems to have more fun playing with a bunch of blocks or trains, or with some other kids than when he watched a DVD or plays computer games.
Hey OKMama, I still don't have a microwave :)
My four yr old plays educational games on the pc, and I'm considering giving him a retired handspring :approve: ; no violent games or vegging out in front of tv shows though.
I do agree that all children should be exposed to electronics as early as they show an interest. Cell phones, I'm not too sure about. They are too easy to abuse. Gameboys, etc are good for children, however, I see some of my grandchildren spending every waking moment either in front of the TV or game system. They have no clue what is going on around them. They hardly ever go outside to play. This part I am against. I really believe that a time should be set for children. Too many hours a day is wrong somehow. They don't learn to play with others. They hardly interact with anyone. Even at mealtime they won't eat unless there is a TV close by.
Pdahound, great thread! We let our kids (7, 5, 2 1/2) play on our laptop we keep in the kitchen. We supervise their play and guide them. They like sites like PollyPocket.com and Barney.com. Much has some educational value, but either way they feel comfortable using a computer. We try to balance their having possessions with sharing. We are now giving them an old desktop that will go in the playroom. They know how to open a browser and find the "Kids" folder w/all the sites they like. They love to do projects on the computer and print them out. But if I give them a color printer I'm going to go thru a ton of ink.
The other day I took my 7 yr old daughter to Best Buy w/me and told her I'd buy her a dvd. I tried to get her to pick Annie, thinking that's what little girls would love. She turned that flat down and chose that Japanese cartoon Pokemon.
In light of this thread, may I mention something that's been bugging me lately? well, i'm gonna say it anyway, so there! :p
Baby Einstein and all products of that ilk...
I think the technological advances are wonderful but gosh, shouldn't their PARENTS be interacting with them instead of a device? I don't know, maybe it's just me but it seems like these devices are turning this current generation into Plug & Play babies I saw one with interactive video of *gasp* the OUTDOORS! hello, take your kids outside, don't show it to them on the television, for crying out loud!
Not to toot my own horn too much, but I stayed at home with Nick for the first three years of his life. When he went to kindergarden he knew every color in the spectrum, his multiplication tables cold, all 50 states & their capitals (and could locate them on a map too!) and was reading at a 6th grade level. The only tools I had at hand were homemade flash cards and me interacting with him. He still talks about our Word Jar I made with an old peanut butter jar and scraps of paper. He would pick out words and I taught him what the words were, how to write them, showed him the object, etc.
In conclusion, I would like to state that although I think these whiz bang electronic things are neat BUT! They should never take the place of parents. Trust me, the time you have with your kids is fleeting. My son's childhood went by in a flash & I really miss him being a little dude
[/Luddite spiel ]
In light of this thread, may I mention something that's been bugging me lately? well, i'm gonna say it anyway, so there! :p
Baby Einstein and all products of that ilk...
I think the technological advances are wonderful but gosh, shouldn't their PARENTS be interacting with them instead of a device? I don't know, maybe it's just me but it seems like these devices are turning this current generation into Plug & Play babies I saw one with interactive video of *gasp* the OUTDOORS! hello, take your kids outside, don't show it to them on the television, for crying out loud!
Not to toot my own horn too much, but I stayed at home with Nick for the first three years of his life. When he went to kindergarden he knew every color in the spectrum, his multiplication tables cold, all 50 states & their capitals (and could locate them on a map too!) and was reading at a 6th grade level. The only tools I had at hand were homemade flash cards and me interacting with him. He still talks about our Word Jar I made with an old peanut butter jar and scraps of paper. He would pick out words and I taught him what the words were, how to write them, showed him the object, etc.
In conclusion, I would like to state that although I think these whiz bang electronic things are neat BUT! They should never take the place of parents. Trust me, the time you have with your kids is fleeting. My son's childhood went by in a flash & I really miss him being a little dude
[/Luddite spiel ]
Exactly. That's why they should be exposed to gadgets, but timed, as well. They should be outside interacting. Coming up with their own games and things to do. I hear things like, I don't want to go out because it is snowing, blowing, raining, cold, or too hot. What's that all about? None of those things will hurt you.
Exactly. That's why they should be exposed to gadgets, but timed, as well. They should be outside interacting. Coming up with their own games and things to do. I hear things like, I don't want to go out because it is snowing, blowing, raining, cold, or too hot. What's that all about? None of those things will hurt you.
When Nick was younger he was only allowed to play his video games on the weekend after chores & homework were squared away :approve:
And once he got his computer & discovered online games I had to limit him to 2 hours max during the school week and I tried to limit him on the weekends.
as a father of 4 kids (9,12,13, 16) and a bonified techno junkie, all I can say is "Bring it on". My oldest daughter turned 16, 2 days ago and so just started driving. I can not even imagine the horror of sending her out driving and on dates without a cell phone. I am not sure how parents ever copped without being in touch. My 12 and 13 year olds also share a cell phone. Again, it brings great peace of mind being able to text/call them whenever and wherever they are. Between the 4 kids, we have a PSP, 2 gameboy advanced, playstaion2, xbox, 4 tv's, 3 dvd players 2 cell phones, my house also has 2 desktops, 2 laptops, 2 ipaqs, and of course the Axim. (and 3 ipods coming from Santa)
and before anyone says it... YES my children are functional, social, athletic, and active kids. we play littleleage everything, cheerlead, active in church and neighborhood activities. we eat dinner as a family - around the table (with the tv off!) My wife teaches at the elementary school in the computer lab teaching grades K-6 how to use and get the most out of computers.
Like everything else in life, as long as things are done with boundries, and children are taught there is a time and place for everything, I see no problem, in letting your children enjoy the same benifits from technology we all enjoy.
(it also make my day when I can hand the phone to my 12 year old to let her explain to grandma how to burn a CD)
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I saw one with interactive video of *gasp* the OUTDOORS! hello, take your kids outside, don't show it to them on the television, for crying out loud!
