People who can't leave technology alone (husband, person, children, present)
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One thing that drives me crazy is trying to have a vacation with people who can't keep their noses out of their laptop, phone, ipad/kindle, portable game systems or ipods.
OMG - can't you spend a large amount of time of any given day without your face in a screen? Stop and look around you! There's more in life than just what's on the web!
My family took a vacation to the mountains of Tennessee. I had planned a hiking trip, rafting trip, horse back riding trip and a couple of museums. Every time we got near town, it was 'find some wi-fi' so they could 'check emails' and such. My child couldn't put down the Nintendo DS for five minutes when we were at our cabin. There were times I just sat there while everyone else was nose deep in something electronic.
My family took a vacation to the mountains of Tennessee. I had planned a hiking trip, rafting trip, horse back riding trip and a couple of museums. Every time we got near town, it was 'find some wi-fi' so they could 'check emails' and such. My child couldn't put down the Nintendo DS for five minutes when we were at our cabin. There were times I just sat there while everyone else was nose deep in something electronic.
Why did you permit that to happen, especially since it bothered you so much?
Well, you're the grown-up. You can certainly declare "electronic-free" times, even if it comes to the point of confiscating all electronics and locking them away -- or even forbid them from being brought altogether. This is a classic example of an addiction, if they can't put it away from even a few hours. Don't bring the Nintendo DS on a camping trip. Period. Ignore requests for 'wi-fi', take phones away if necessary. In other words, be the parent.
Yeah, they may squeal. So what? The phone is probably paid for by you -- it's YOUR phone, and they get to use it at your discretion. They are abusing the privilege, and are learning extremely rude habits. I see families in restaurants where everyone has their nose in their phone, there's no conversation, etc. and I think it's sad.
They won't learn to appreciate the world around them unless they actually get a chance to experience it fully. No, they don't have to take a picture of everything with their phone -- that's not experiencing it. Plus, you need to be prepared with alternative, engaging activities. A puzzle, crafts, books, etc. While it's hard to hear, sometimes, kids who are addicted to their electronics are often the result of too-casual parenting, or are the children of parents who are equally clueless about appropriate use of electronics -- parents who are, deliberately or unintended, using the electronics as babysitters to "shut the kids up" and avoid confrontations.
Time for the big hammer -- no phones, no electronics, PERIOD. Or, if you are feeling generous, they can have 15 minutes each evening to check their messages -- and then the phones go back under lock and key. But for hard core cases, sometimes cold turkey is best.
I will freely admit to having a real internet compulsion. I won't call it an addiction yet, but I do feel an urge to check ... SOMETHING ... every 15 minutes or so.
I am able to have a conversation with people without looking at my phone, and we don't have phones at the table etc. But when I am alone, I always feel like I want to check and see if there is a message, an e-mail, a new CD post , a breaking news story.
I HAVE to change it because it is affecting my attention span and getting in the way of other things.
One thing that drives me crazy is trying to have a vacation with people who can't keep their noses out of their laptop, phone, ipad/kindle, portable game systems or ipods.
OMG - can't you spend a large amount of time of any given day without your face in a screen? Stop and look around you! There's more in life than just what's on the web!
My family took a vacation to the mountains of Tennessee. I had planned a hiking trip, rafting trip, horse back riding trip and a couple of museums. Every time we got near town, it was 'find some wi-fi' so they could 'check emails' and such. My child couldn't put down the Nintendo DS for five minutes when we were at our cabin. There were times I just sat there while everyone else was nose deep in something electronic.
Anyone else tired of being wired 24/7/365?
What you describe would drive me insane. If your kid was mine, I'd have forbidden anything electronic on the trip, period.
It's so sad, the way so many people go through life with their heads down, staring at a screen. When I'm near people like that, I just withdraw. Then when they look up and ask me something or want to interact, I ignore them. Oh, they want attention all of a sudden? Sorry, too busy looking at the clouds/birds/trees/stars/people/my fingernails. See how it feels.
Last week we took a little mini vacation to Las Vegas and it's a 3 hour drive from where we live with a whole lot of nothing for the kids to do on the way. They were allowed to bring their electronic toys to keep them occupied for the trip but once we were in Vegas the stuff was put away and were not allowed to play with them again until the trip home. Yes they asked to play a few times while we were in the room but we told them to quit asking or they wouldn't get them on the return trip. That worked.
I did say no electronics - which caused nothing but a fight with my husband who just *had* to have his laptop to check in with work (hello?? VACATION!).
Child got to piggy back on dads right to take his laptop. 'But the car ride is so boring'.
There really is only so much fight in a person. I have considered just taking a vacation alone.
It's their NEED that bothers me. That's what I have to break. Threats didn't work. Arguments didn't work.
There is a new drug in town. It is called iphonomine, 24-hour connectivity anytime, anywhere, guaranteed high, absolutely irresistible. It makes your hand trembled, mind swiveled, without it. Have you got your fix today, ladies and gents?
It's vacation... all involved on the trip should pretty much be free to do whatever they want with their free time away from home and away from work/school. How can it truly be vacation if you're going to try and enforce rules? It's "their loss" if they want to bury their heads into whatever electronic device they have.
People like that drive me crazy! My mother is always swiping away at her iPad or her iPhone. It it so frustrating for my sister and I when we visit home for vacations or holidays. Even worse when we're all gathered in the living room and my mom is swiping at her iPad AND the television is on!
Also annoying: I'm a college student, and it just seems so rude to me when I look around my classes and see like 40% of my fellow students mindlessly swiping at their smartphones. They don't even look like they're interested in whatever it is that they're staring at! I'll definitely use my smartphone when I'm waiting for a class to start, but it just seems so dismissive of the teacher to keep using it during class. Why even show up if you're not there to listen? To me it's just indicative of a compulsion to be "plugged in" even if there's no present reason to be.
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