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This issue really boils down to what works for the family.....but as my kids get older the peer pressure to own all these gadgets gets pretty fierce, and that is perhaps where parents really need to evaluate the needs/wants issue from a family perspective. My kids have us pretty well figured out, we are reasonable, and are going to listen to them and come up with a plan if they really, really want something. It may take them some time to get it, but that's okay.
This issue really boils down to what works for the family.....but as my kids get older the peer pressure to own all these gadgets gets pretty fierce, and that is perhaps where parents really need to evaluate the needs/wants issue from a family perspective.
I agree. I also think it matters why the child has the technology. I am 100% in favor of a 4-year old using an iPad to learn, explore and discover using age-appropriate apps. An entitled 14-year old demanding an iPhone so she can txt her friends all day... Ummmm... No.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't believe there's anything a four-year-old needs to know that can't be learned from plenty of reading aloud with parents, lots of time spent outdoors with playmates, helping Mom and Dad around the house daily, and, perhaps, a few hours of preschool every week.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't believe there's anything a four-year-old needs to know that can't be learned from plenty of reading aloud with parents, lots of time spent outdoors with playmates, helping Mom and Dad around the house daily, and, perhaps, a few hours of preschool every week.
And a 16 year-old doesn't need an XBOX or a car, and on and on it goes. 4 year-olds can have all the things you mention and a laptop or iTouch too. It still boils down to the child's personality, needs, wants, maturity, and the parents ability to determine what is in the best interest of their child and their family.
And a 16 year-old doesn't need an XBOX or a car, and on and on it goes.
I agree. Don't get me wrong; I understand that children, including mine, have lots of things they don't need. My point is that we're kiddng ourselves if we think a four-year-old with a tablet computer has a competitive advantage over one who doesn't. The advantage lies in having affluent, educated, involved parents who care deeply about their children's educations.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't believe there's anything a four-year-old needs to know that can't be learned from plenty of reading aloud with parents, lots of time spent outdoors with playmates, helping Mom and Dad around the house daily, and, perhaps, a few hours of preschool every week.
I am a firm believer in all of that. But the 4-year old who is comfortable using an iPad may turn into the next Steve Jobs. His brain is going to get wired a little differently. And, as I said, he's going to have a leg up on the 4-year old who has to be taught how to use one in the 4th grade when everybody and his brother has one.
The use of these devices is only going to grow. I say put it out for them asap. Don't get nuts about it, but exposure is everything, IMHO.
I am a firm believer in all of that. But the 4-year old who is comfortable using an iPad may turn into the next Steve Jobs. His brain is going to get wired a little differently. And, as I said, he's going to have a leg up on the 4-year old who has to be taught how to use one in the 4th grade when everybody and his brother has one.
The use of these devices is only going to grow. I say put it out for them asap. Don't get nuts about it, but exposure is everything, IMHO.
Uh, no. Tablet computers are designed such that any idiot can have them up and running in minutes. As I said earlier, if you want to raise the next tech genius, a good start would be to keep them away from the entertainment screens, and drop them off at the university computer lab on the weekends to work with the CS students. We are raising a generation of technology consumers, not technology designers.
As a point of note, my spouse makes his living creating the systems that allow you to reserve your next airline trip, receive the natural gas to power your household appliances, take an on-line class, receive Netflix, and check out your purchases at the grocery, among many other tasks you and I take for granted. He bought his first computer as a sophomore in college. When parents ask him what they can do to raise the next generation of tech innovators, he doesn't tell them to run out and buy their kids a laptop or tablet. He tells them to ensure their kids have a solid grounding in science, math, and logic, and to take things apart and see how they work. A box of Legos is infinitely more effective than watching a screen.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 08-28-2011 at 01:35 PM..
And a 16 year-old doesn't need an XBOX or a car, and on and on it goes. 4 year-olds can have all the things you mention and a laptop or iTouch too. It still boils down to the child's personality, needs, wants, maturity, and the parents ability to determine what is in the best interest of their child and their family.
I don't disagree with this at all. I think my confusion/naivete lies in the 6 year old who needs a cellphone/IPad. I worry about the line between needs and keeping up with the Joneses or becoming ike a certain whiney child who feels entitled to it all.
I don't disagree with this at all. I think my confusion/naivete lies in the 6 year old who needs a cellphone/IPad. I worry about the line between needs and keeping up with the Joneses or becoming ike a certain whiney child who feels entitled to it all.
I hear you. What I see in my children's peers are children who are incredibly indulged, which is the parents prerogative, but in the next breath the parents are lamenting bankruptcy and foreclosure. I don't get why children need 6 American girl dolls, or 200 squinkies. It still remains none of my business, but when my kids see all this it certainly is interesting trying to explain it (and without calling some parents morons ). It still remains about moderation, what we can afford, and the individual personality and needs of each child.
We do buy big ticket items for our children, but not to keep up with the Jones', and only if we can afford them.
But just as a point of reference if we're playing "I know computer people" I base my own feelings on knowing and working with computer geeks since the early 70's. People extremely well known, and successful, in their particular fields. I'll not get into my own DH's job but, yes, he knows about computer use in his industry. So, whatever. I think we are all, as adults, entitled to our own opinions based on our own life experiences. BTW: We LOVE "entertainment screens" in my house, lol.
Hmmm... I beginning to understand I have a subconscious agenda here. Sorry. Laughing at myself.
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