My kids are almost 7 and 4.5 and they received an iPad. Now all day long they want to use it. I freak out. I am so afraid that they will not play anymore or go out or do anything apart from that. Would you regulate screen time?There were good responses; part of mine was:
They ARE playing.
If that iPad is so exciting and alluring that it's disturbing the peace, consider getting another one. They will NOT live there forever, but they might be so excited about them at first that it seems to the parent they will never look away from it.
I have two very profound pages for parents to read who are having similar fears. One is by Pam Sorooshian, about principles of economics. The other is a collection of nonsensical statements made by real parents in public. Science and the exposure of non-scientific thought. 🙂
Economics of Restricting TV Watching of Children
Pam Sorooshian
"If I let him, he would..."
photo by Sandra Dodd
When we had one iPad, it was in use constantly. 1 or more kids playing on it, and the other 1 or 2 waiting for their turn, and there were sometimes arguments about it. Once we got a 2nd iPad, and it was easier for everyone to get a turn - there were long stretches of time where nobody was using either. It was proof to me that the scarcity of the tool was partly what made it so desirable. Once they knew that they could play anytime they wanted to, they were quite happy to go and do other things and come back when they felt like it.
ReplyDelete