Don’t look now, the sky is falling!

0

February 1, 2016 by readlisaread

I was on about this on Facebook recently– this little number on the Evils of iPads.  The full article is worth a read, if you are concerned about toddlers and screen-time, but here is the thing…. as with all technology (electronic or otherwise) it has got to be the best tool for the job.  When my children were wee and every summer meant Roadtrip to the Okanagan, the advent of the Portable DVD player was gold… GOLD, I tell you. Did I park my kids in front of it all summer long? No.  And when we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa, did they go off to play electronic (or other) games and disengage from the family?  Of course not.  When they were tired, hungry or unwell, did I indulge them? Yes. When they were perfectly fine were there expectations for their behaviour and demeanour? Always.

You’ll be thinking, gentle reader, that I don’t really appear to be talking about the article.  In fact I’ve rambled on about all manner of other things about being a parent, not about Toddlers and iPads. And that is the point.  For all the author’s hysteria, she doesn’t back it up with anything particularly sciencey, but does leverage the Almighty with a side story about how the appearance of an iPad at a Christening (A CHRISTENING!!!) totally ruined the whole thing and all of the kids were fine colouring and playing with blocks, until the ELECTRONIC DEVIL’S DEVICE destroyed the entire occasion.  Now I’ve been around enough kids in enough situations to know that all manner of Bad Things can happen whether there are crayons, keyboards, rocks or sticks involved. Best tool for the job?  I’m thinking Parenting, in this case.

We seem to be quick to blame all sorts of outside influences (sugar, red food colouring, vaccines, iPads, video games, gangs….) but maybe, MAYbe, we need to more often look inward. Kids are just as likely to be disruptive over a colouring book as an iPad, especially if behavioural expectations and consequences haven’t been made clear.

I get really tetchy when people demonize other people or things, rather than take responsibility.  It’s a Fun Trend to blame technology, but let’s maybe look at Parenting, too.


0 comments »

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What are you searching for?

Wait…what did you say again?

Skip to toolbar