Addie was having an absolute meltdown while we were trying to zoom through Kroger tonight on a quick shopping trip. This meltdown was merited by the fact that we had been in church for a total of 5 hrs today, she had no nap, and it was 8:30 at night. I found myself giving her my iPhone to console her. There is an app on there called Moo Box (designed for toddlers...shows pics of animals and you touch it to hear the animal sound) that she loves. Well she got tired of that quick so we moved on to the "Dress Chicka" app.
(Side-note: I am quiet impressed with how well a two-year old can navigate this iPhone. Got to hand it to Apple, they really did make this user-friendly enough that a toddler could use it :)
Well Chicka made her happy for about a minute so then we switch to Caillou on YouTube...until she starts screaming, "No mommy! Tay Swift mommy! I want Taylor Swift!" So in the middle of checkout I find myself having a conversation with my two (going on 10 year-old) that goes something like this, "Okay honey. If you will sit down in the cart I will find you some Taylor Swift on the iPhone. Just sit down & I will look it up on YouTube. YouTube isn't loading right now for some reason. I'm sorry. Mommy will keep trying.........(screams continue.]"
I have to imagine that anyone within earshot was looking at me like I was crazy. She is a toddler for goodness sakes...she shouldn't even know who Taylor Swift is for one, but the fact that she already knows the iPhone is capable of producing Taylor Swift anytime she wants is crazy as well. And, equally as crazy to many folks is the fact that I would actually let a two-year old play with an iPhone/listen to Taylor Swift obsessively in the middle of a grocery store. I have to admit that even I think I am crazy.
It amazes me how our kids (and when I say our I mean my own) are now programmed to think everything should be available to them at the drop of a hat. They are definitely products of the 21st century. Technology has done this to them, but in all actuality I have done this to them. I have to take full responsibility for letting the technology seep into every ounce of our being. We seem to exist for this stuff, and that is horrible to admit.
A familiar preschool TV jingle pops into my head as I type this, "On Demand. Or on TV. Day or night, and online too. Sprout is always here...for you." Wow, that is a little sad don't you think? Should toddler TV really be available 24/7? I remember growing up if you didn't catch your kiddie TV before eight or nine in the morning you were darn near out of luck. Wow, what ever did we do without 24/7 access? We played outside or used our imagination, of course. Well, either that or we got in a few extra TV minutes by watching Price is Right.
You know, I actually tried to get my kids to watch Price is Right with me the other day in memory of the good-ole days....we got through one pricing game before it was, "Mommy this is boring. I want to watch Dora." Wow, it made me really sad. I could watch it straight through to the showcase showdown and still be begging for more when the hour was up. But, long gone are the days of finding satisfaction in a show like that. Not with the vast choices of today. With the push of your remote, click of the mouse, or touch of the iPhone you are now plugged in to kiddie entertainment mega land.
I'm not saying these technologies are a bad thing. Quite the opposite. But, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. And, the overuse that I am seeing in my own family is weighing heavy on my mind as I type this at midnight. I am scared that the, 'I want it, and I want it now!' attitude will shift from technology into a larger more worrisome scale in the future. If my children use that philosophy in every aspect of their lives we will surely have issues...large obnoxious issues...and even larger credit card bills at that. Furthermore, these are issues that will surely corrode their minds, hearts, and souls.
I want to make change, and what better time than now? I want to get TV, computer, and iPhone time down to 1 hr a day max. You think I can do it? Well, I am sure it won't be easy, but I am willing to try for the sake of my kids. I want to replace all that freed up time with more books, imagination, fresh air, and sunshine. I hope I can do it. I want to! Oh and by the way when I say I, I really mean we. No way could I do all this alone. But, since I am typing these thoughts as my hubby snoozes I haven't had time to go over this new revelation with him. So until that point I don't feel right changing the I's to We's :)
BTW...Sorry for the long, long rant. This is how I get things off my mind.
1 week ago
4 comments:
After reading this, I ws reading Parents magazine and there is a whole article on child friendly games to get your children involved w/ on the Iphone. Too funny! Your kids probably know more than I do about the IPhone.
This should be published Kari- VERY well said!!!!! Everything you said is exactly what i have been worried and upset with myself for letting get out of hand with my child too. There is too much pacifying going on here with tv too. I was watching the Dugger family (18 kids...) and how they never watch tv and listen to very little music....look how good those kids are, but they do have lots of entertainment among the many siblings. I too want to try to minimize tv time and will take the 1 hr challenge with you! Thanks for posting this and yes, for real, send this to a magazine. So many of us feel this way and need to be reminded that we have to get control over this before it gets out of hand!
I think technology is great (in small doses, of course). I'm sure my parents would've LOVED portable VCR's when we were kids (esepcially on trips). I think technology keeps us mommies from going INSANE. I'll do anything to pacify--sometimes WE need some peace of mind too =). Don't be to hard on yourself--they'll be in school for 8 hrs. a day before to long.
Small update...We have done SO much better this past week about watching very little tv & I have tried to put up my iPhone out of sight as much as possible. Out of sight out of mind has really worked well for us. It has been great to save the tv or iPhone when I really need a break or have to get something done, but I don't want to use it as a crutch anymore. The girls have responded very positively...which leads me to believe that they would never miss the tv at all as long as I could keep their little minds engaged all day...but, now that is the challenge. Terri, I think I read that same article in Parents. It is amazing how fast a 2 year old can learn any kind of technology. Addie was buzzing right through the apps in a matter of minutes. It does make me feel a little better when she is learning shapes and colors on their and not jamming to Taylor Swift on YouTube :) Sarah, definitely keep me posted on the 1 hr. challenge! We all face many challenges & worries as parents, so it is nice to know that we mommies have each other to lean on for support! Tiffany, I agree it can be a great sanity keeper at times :) Not sure we can unplug our car dvd's just yet either :) And, by the way I loved all the summer fun activities you posted on your blog. You are so creative! I can tell your kids have had a great summer!
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