"NO, T!
Please don't do that."
These are the usual lines which I say atleast five times a day.
And what would T be doing? These can be a range of stuff which happens, from water being poured into toys or food being mashed to pulp or climbing on tables/chairs to get iPads and phones or attempting to open the fridge to get chocolates/cheese or fiddling with the door knobs/keys. Recently I was having a conversation with a friend, S, who has a son, a few months older than T, and we were discussing how do we keep these small people occupied through the day. She was saying that taking her son outside, letting him watch some cartoons, then some iPad time is what keeps her day moving and also helps her to get her work done. At this point, I should add that she lives in the US and hence she pretty much manages everything on her own along with her son being at home with her. In India, I have always seen the no iPad, TV time for kids being professed so extensively that the small bits that I do allow T is seen at times by some in a very wrong way. This certainly does leave me in a confused state. S was of the opinion that when teachers and schools now use online medium and videos to impart the same knowledge which was initially done only through a blackboard or books, then why are we, as parents, stopping our kids from being exposed to this medium. T has been sufficiently exposed to iPad (since the age of 11 mo) and now she is pretty much a pro at handling the apps and any new app for her is a matter of 30 mins of discovery time. I usually find a new app for her almost every other week, though her iPad time is restricted to only an hour a day at max. But, I know how much she looks forward to this hour and how she keeps reminding me of the same through the day.
I completely agreed with her, but then when does it come to the point of excess? When is it time to say NO to the online and screen time?
Please don't do that."
These are the usual lines which I say atleast five times a day.
And what would T be doing? These can be a range of stuff which happens, from water being poured into toys or food being mashed to pulp or climbing on tables/chairs to get iPads and phones or attempting to open the fridge to get chocolates/cheese or fiddling with the door knobs/keys. Recently I was having a conversation with a friend, S, who has a son, a few months older than T, and we were discussing how do we keep these small people occupied through the day. She was saying that taking her son outside, letting him watch some cartoons, then some iPad time is what keeps her day moving and also helps her to get her work done. At this point, I should add that she lives in the US and hence she pretty much manages everything on her own along with her son being at home with her. In India, I have always seen the no iPad, TV time for kids being professed so extensively that the small bits that I do allow T is seen at times by some in a very wrong way. This certainly does leave me in a confused state. S was of the opinion that when teachers and schools now use online medium and videos to impart the same knowledge which was initially done only through a blackboard or books, then why are we, as parents, stopping our kids from being exposed to this medium. T has been sufficiently exposed to iPad (since the age of 11 mo) and now she is pretty much a pro at handling the apps and any new app for her is a matter of 30 mins of discovery time. I usually find a new app for her almost every other week, though her iPad time is restricted to only an hour a day at max. But, I know how much she looks forward to this hour and how she keeps reminding me of the same through the day.
I completely agreed with her, but then when does it come to the point of excess? When is it time to say NO to the online and screen time?
