The Generation of iKids

Do you sometimes hand over your smartphone to your obnoxious noisy child to keep him from disturbing you? I plead guilty!

I try not to be one of those parents who do it in restaurants and in public, but there are times when I give in. Mental war is not fun. The devil says "Go on, just give it to the poor kiddo, a game or two won't blind him".... and the angel says "Resist, my mortal one, iPhone games are baaaaad for childre.......... Ah, what the heck, just give it to him. CHILL MAMA!"
It's really not fun having this fight in my head.

I do let Daniel play with the iPad and my iPhone occasionally. The 'habit' became consistent during the first two weeks of starting Primary One. I would let him play when he got home. I think it was a subconscious 'reward' for him, and I became soft-hearted. I pity the kid who gets home later than I do. So basically I let him do whatever he wants at home.

And then my overreacting-maternal-instincts kicked in and I have barred him from going near the iPad, iPhone and computer games. Since the CNY! Zilch, nix, zip, nada, diddly-squat. He'd ask everyday, and I'd say NO everyday. I practiced total control and discipline for him and myself. Everytime I feel tempted to give in, I think of those reported cases of extreme games addiction.

AND THEN I came across this somewhat sensible article. One point from the article which made me realize something I never thought of before;
"...children view technology inherently differently than their adult counterparts. They see it as something fundamentally human, easily assimilated into everyday life – as opposed to adults, who view it as separate from humanness. Kids are viewing technology as “moving from acts of knowledge transmission toward acts of exploration, collaboration, and creation.”

Kapow right! I never viewed it as a child, that the expectation is that technology is everywhere and anytime. It is a natural part of life.I am still living in the times when kids should be playing physical traditional games like batu seremban (five stones), congkak, police and thieves, badminton, dig holes in the soil, catch spiders and climb coconut trees. Gosh I'm Jurassic!

SO, after a long digital break, I guess I will let him indulge a little bit. BUT not too much....