My brother Ryan and his family are visiting our house for the summer. It's really great to have them around! Especially my nephew and niece who are as adorable as they were when I last saw them. In fact, I met my niece Ariana for the first time! My nephew Azrael is as naughty and energetic as ever.
Looking at how the kids were passing their time really made me jog my memories and think back to how I used to spend time as a young child. Of course, I don't remember what I used to do back when I was three, but I certainly was not staring at a screen almost all day. Azrael, age three, loves his cartoons, and will throw a tantrum if you change the channel, and Ariana, only eleven months old, is fascinated by smartphones. Which makes me a little concerned! After all, when I was growing up, I did watch TV and the occassional VHS, but certainly not all through the day! I had toys, I drew a lot, and my mom read me books. A LOT of books.
Of course, I don't know flip about parenting and probably couldn't "parent" a potted cactus, but seeing the behavior of today's kids is a little disheartening. They lose interest in toys, think books are boring, and probably don't even know most of the classic nursery rhymes. Give them an iPad and that's enough. The worst part is the dependency the kids develop on these gadgets.
Hey, I don't mean to be all boring and old fashioned here, but come on, isn't it a little early to give a three year old the laptop to play Devil May Cry 4 ?
What do you think? Is it okay to put technology in toddlers' hands? Or should we wait till they're old enough?
Looking at how the kids were passing their time really made me jog my memories and think back to how I used to spend time as a young child. Of course, I don't remember what I used to do back when I was three, but I certainly was not staring at a screen almost all day. Azrael, age three, loves his cartoons, and will throw a tantrum if you change the channel, and Ariana, only eleven months old, is fascinated by smartphones. Which makes me a little concerned! After all, when I was growing up, I did watch TV and the occassional VHS, but certainly not all through the day! I had toys, I drew a lot, and my mom read me books. A LOT of books.
Of course, I don't know flip about parenting and probably couldn't "parent" a potted cactus, but seeing the behavior of today's kids is a little disheartening. They lose interest in toys, think books are boring, and probably don't even know most of the classic nursery rhymes. Give them an iPad and that's enough. The worst part is the dependency the kids develop on these gadgets.
Hey, I don't mean to be all boring and old fashioned here, but come on, isn't it a little early to give a three year old the laptop to play Devil May Cry 4 ?
What do you think? Is it okay to put technology in toddlers' hands? Or should we wait till they're old enough?