Setting limits
« Previous EntriesMy latest parenting mantra
Thursday, May 29th, 2008I have a new and longreaching goal when it comes to technology in our family life: nonjudgment. Here’s why.
Several weeks ago, a friend and I attended a seminar on parenting and technology. The leaders opened up the evening by asking audience members to pose their questions up front, so the questions could be answered during the presentation. I […]
Don’t mess with my desk[top]
Saturday, March 8th, 2008When Andy was three, I was chatting with a more experienced mom about her part-time job. “Do you enjoy it?” I asked. “What I love is that no one touches my desk when I’m gone.” At the time, I was too much of a newbie parent to understand. I said, “Oh!” but I thought, “Huh?” It […]
Big brother gets a PS2
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008Andy bought a PlayStation 2 game system yesterday. I was really happy for him, because this was something he’s wanted for a very long time. And his parents finally caved realized this would be an asset to our household. Of course, some “rules” were part of the bargain, but by far the biggest challenge was trying […]
Extreme makeover - home screen edition
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
We’re revamping our family computer/TV limits this week, and I thought I’d give you an update on what we’re thinking. (But shh…kids have yet to be informed.)
There are two parts to this. The first is easy — the rules. There are four:
1. Every Wednesday will be a screen-free day. (Thanks, Sally.) This was a no-brainer. It […]
Behavioral problems
Thursday, January 17th, 2008I was scanning Ask.Metafilter.com today and came across what I thought was a profound thought. The user asked the community to suggest ways a father could prevent his daughter from going online after bedtime, and said he was open to either technology or social fixes to the problem. One fellow, “blue_beetle”, had a brilliant response:
Don’t look for technical solutions to […]
Rated “E” for everyone
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008We recently ran into one of Alex’s preschool buddies and his mom at Target. Alex couldn’t resist announcing to his friend that he was buying a Ben 10 toy. “Ooh,” the mom said to him, “you’re lucky. My kids don’t get to watch that show.” (Translation: “We’re more responsible about limits than in your house.”) And […]
Oooh, that makes me crazy…
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007Some things about screens can be absolutely aggravating for parents. What are your parenting tech pet peeves? (Maybe it’s what the hardware or software does, or maybe it’s what the user does.) Here are my top three:
“Wait! I can’t exit until I finish this level.”
The message that says you can’t install the game your child […]