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You are a breath of fresh air in the smog of modern society.
I just wish this "if you can afford it why not" parenting society would think more like you. That kind of thinking is why it makes it so hard for other parents. So many adults think that it's a tool of education. It really isn't, it's for games first, talking to friends 24/7 (is this REALLY a good thing?) and SOMETIMES homework.
And obviously you collect the data on what everyone uses their iPads for don't you ?
I guess I don't understand exactly what "the value of a dollar" means. If you have dollars and use them to buy something whether it's expensive or not, how is the value any different? If you have the cash to buy your kids a Wii U Deluxe for Christmas and buy it, how is that a bad thing? Maybe it will show the kids that if they study and work hard in school, in the future they too will be able to buy themselves and perhaps their kids nice things every once in a while.
I don't see how buying a kid an iPad is overindulging. If the parents (whether they have money or not) slept in the street outside an Apple store every time a new gizmo was released just so their kids would have it on day one, and did the same with video games and systems and everything else, then maybe that would be a bit much since the parents would be just buying it for the status of their kid being able to say "I got it as soon as it came out" even though their previous device is just fine. But, if they choose to even do that, well, that's on them. Who is anyone to dictate what others do with their money?
I guess I don't understand exactly what "the value of a dollar" means. If you have dollars and use them to buy something whether it's expensive or not, how is the value any different? If you have the cash to buy your kids a Wii U Deluxe for Christmas and buy it, how is that a bad thing? Maybe it will show the kids that if they study and work hard in school, in the future they too will be able to buy themselves and perhaps their kids nice things every once in a while.
I don't see how buying a kid an iPad is overindulging. If the parents (whether they have money or not) slept in the street outside an Apple store every time a new gizmo was released just so their kids would have it on day one, and did the same with video games and systems and everything else, then maybe that would be a bit much since the parents would be just buying it for the status of their kid being able to say "I got it as soon as it came out" even though their previous device is just fine. But, if they choose to even do that, well, that's on them. Who is anyone to dictate what others do with their money?
I'm not sure what Blazah means by the "value of a dollar" but in my own mind I think it is a little wasteful to make it habit to spend top dollar on a rapidly depreciating device. I understand the initial excitement in being among the first to own a brand new gadget. I do understand why people stand in line to buy them. But if you could literally save several hundred dollars by waiting 4 months to buy it....
My practical side tends to win in these situations. We wait, we save and in many cases we don't buy at all. I'm sure that there are other ways that we are spendthrifts compared to others. It's just a matter of priorities, what we find value in...
My 11 year old cousin got an iPhone for Christmas and his 13 year old brother got an iPad. I don't see anything wrong with young people getting electronic devices.
Because I'm an adult and work for my money. I carefully consider my purchases, rather than just asking for santa to bring them to me (even when the kid knows there's no santa) and a 1000+ dollar thing shows up. I'm really done. Some people in this thread get it, some dont. I will say that I'm typing this post from a place that would be considered the 1%, but the people here do not just buy something for kids because they can afford it. Truth is they can afford almost anything, but they are like me, they want their kids to value the dollar, earn things rather than just "have it because they can afford it". There really is something wrong with that line of thought, but I can't really teach it here.
The only thing you are teaching here is your opinion, which does not make a universal truth which can be applied to everyone else in the world. Some people enjoy buying their kids an iPad. So what? It's not going to change.
I see on another thread you were peeved over this same issue, that is someone bought their kids an iPad or an iPhone, or whatever.
I think you have some major resentment going. If that makes you unhappy, so be it. I read somewhere they are using iPad's in elementary education and almost 20 years ago, I heard a laptop was required in some college courses, such as law school.
I don't know what my kid's friends have or received for Christmas. I imagine things similar to my kids. My extended family gives cold hard cash to their kids. We think it's cold to do that.
My children are 19 and 16. They have cell phones and regular lap tops. The lap tops were purchased for school. That was why I bought them.
They were each under $500. They were not gifts.
The phones that we bought them have been upgraded by them. I really don't know what functions they have. They are not Macs.
I spent a total of $300 on each child and they were very happy with their gifts.
Books, clothes, video games, art supplies, gift certificates to the movies, sneakers, jeans, jewelry and cosmetics for my daughter, and things like that.
Oh a board game too, for the whole family to play.
I do not think that there is anything inherently wrong with these things at all. We generally give them what they need. If they want to up grade an item, that's up to them.
My son loves vinyl. Records. He collects 50s - 80s music and has a turntable. We kind of share a record collection. I gave him some 70s speakers that I found on e-bay.
My daughter loves vintage clothes and collects 50's cardigans. I found two for her that she is thrilled with. She is a fan of Mod Cloth and other Indie clothes companies.
They know how to do anything concerning computers, and still enjoy video games. They are not deprived. They are more Indie and DIY types. I am too but I'm not as rigid about it as they are.
They are provided for all year long. We like Christmas to be personal and quirky and books are still a big hit in our house.
Me? I have a five year old Samsung flip phone and a $300 Toshiba lap top. Just so that no one thinks I'm keeping the "good stuff" for myself. DH is the same.
I love this view because it illustrates so well what many have been saying here. Technology does not make or break who your family is. Children who are nurtured, encouraged and guided wisely will not be ruined by it. In fact, quite the opposite.
I have to revisit this thread and comment on a device like the iPad which I got for Christmas. Boy, I never knew what I was missing and now feel like I've entered the 21st century finally, lol. Now I'm using it for all kinds of things---getting my contacts organaized, consolidating my notes, reaching out of people quite a bit more, getting my schedule more organized. I love it.
The apps though are absolutely amazing. My son is having some troubles in school and I've discovered all the learning apps. Yesterday, he was happily doing a multiplication app for a few hours and was playing with it at breakfast. Slowly, I think that I'm going to collect more of these apps to help get us up to speed. His tutor uses her iPad during our tutoring sessions and it really helps. He loves the iPad. I probably wouldn't buy him one at this point however he is using mine and it is quite amazing. In our area, all the kids are eventually going to get iPads in school for their personal use. I'm sort of giddy with excitement and how I'm going to get him more up to speed in school. Yeah, I'm sure that my husband spent a pretty penny on mine but wow, it is getting quite a bit of use in our household.
The Ipad is actually a fanstastic learning tool. There are many, many special needs children who are benefiting from it. My grandson's speech therapist and occupational therapist use it with him. He is now verbal and he was not until after he got the Ipad (and help from some great ABA therapists). He was non-verbal or pre-verbal until he was 6.
You can use it to learn to read, to learn math concepts, to learn about science. If you have a young teen or an older preteen, I highly recommend The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins app. You can read the book and play the games to get a real sense of how things work. Since I love science, I find the science apps great even for me.
The Elements: A Visual Exploration ($14.00)
Pocket Universe: Virtual Sky Astronomy ($2.00)
Video Science (free)
The Ultimate Dinopedia ($5.00)
3D Sun (free)
Moon Globe HD ($1.00) free if you don't do HD
Frog Dissection ($4.00)
Science360 for iPad (free)
Muscle System Pro III ($20.00)
Britannica Kids: Volcanoes ($3.00) Lots of other Brittanica kids subjects too.
The Ipad is actually a fanstastic learning tool. There are many, many special needs children who are benefiting from it. My grandson's speech therapist and occupational therapist use it with him. He is now verbal and he was not until after he got the Ipad (and help from some great ABA therapists). He was non-verbal or pre-verbal until he was 6.
You can use it to learn to read, to learn math concepts, to learn about science. If you have a young teen or an older preteen, I highly recommend The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins app. You can read the book and play the games to get a real sense of how things work. Since I love science, I find the science apps great even for me.
The Elements: A Visual Exploration ($14.00)
Pocket Universe: Virtual Sky Astronomy ($2.00)
Video Science (free)
The Ultimate Dinopedia ($5.00)
3D Sun (free)
Moon Globe HD ($1.00) free if you don't do HD
Frog Dissection ($4.00)
Science360 for iPad (free)
Muscle System Pro III ($20.00)
Britannica Kids: Volcanoes ($3.00) Lots of other Brittanica kids subjects too.
NASA Science: A Journey of Discovery By NASA is free as well.
Thank you Nana, tried giving you some rep but have to spread it around some more!!! These are great suggestions and I'm going to give them a look!!
Any suggestions on a good reading app? We have our books from the library but would like something fun for him to practice on when he isn't reading an actual book.
Thank you Nana, tried giving you some rep but have to spread it around some more!!! These are great suggestions and I'm going to give them a look!!
Any suggestions on a good reading app? We have our books from the library but would like something fun for him to practice on when he isn't reading an actual book.
How old is he? You can, of course, get a Kindle app (I think it's free) and there are tons of free books available, but they may not be ones he would like (you can buy books for the kindle, of course).
For a young child, the Bob books are available which is what many homeschoolers use to start teaching children to read, but those would not be interesting for an older child.
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