The lack of kids playing outside

[Zorba]

I'm 29 and married and will probably be having kids at some point in the new year. I'm very scared about what tech will look like in the next few years. As I came up through school cell phones slowly became more popular. There was endless bullying through those early social media sites, kids who didn't have their own phones (like myself) got bullied or shunned, it was a mess.. Nowadays, the amount of filth and unfiltered content that pops up on my phone is shocking. It's so in your face all the time. So my fear is not being able to adequately protect my future kids from seeing something they shouldn't.

When I was a youngster, I had metal Tonka trucks and a massive pile of dirt (roughly 30,000 cubic ft) to play on. Someday I would love to have a big pile of dirt for my own kids, although it might have to be a bit smaller.

Here's my advice, I told my daughter the same thing 12 years ago when she was expecting our granddaughter: Do not let that kid even SEE a screen, or know they even exist until they're at least 8 years old. And a kid needs a cell phone - smart or otherwise - like a fish needs a bicycle.

Of course, she didn't listen to me. She's sorry now. I even told her that I'd pay off the kid's smartphone contract if she'd bust the kid down to a flip at the very least - she might even take me up on it eventually. The amount of angst and sorrow caused by that fucking thing is inconceivable.

 

[chili_pepper]

Do not let that kid even SEE a screen, or know they even exist until they're at least 8 years old.

I suspect impossible unless you homeschool your kids nowadays.

 

[thedustyboot]

Here's my advice, I told my daughter the same thing 12 years ago when she was expecting our granddaughter: Do not let that kid even SEE a screen, or know they even exist until they're at least 8 years old. And a kid needs a cell phone - smart or otherwise - like a fish needs a bicycle.

Of course, she didn't listen to me. She's sorry now. I even told her that I'd pay off the kid's smartphone contract if she'd bust the kid down to a flip at the very least - she might even take me up on it eventually. The amount of angst and sorrow caused by that fucking thing is inconceivable.

I totally agree with this. I got a small samsung with slide out keyboard to take on school trips but that was it. I was allowed to have my own once I got a job in 11th grade.

 

[Zorba]

I suspect impossible unless you homeschool your kids nowadays.

I advise that too - if you can. I told my daughter "All schools have an agenda of one sort or another. Make sure their agenda aligns with yours."

The dance sister who built my Ma'at garden moved to a small town in Ga. She homeschools - her kids are ALL on the spectrum. She couldn't find a homeschool group that aligned with her philosophies, so she started one. Dedicated mother! There's 8 kids in it already.

 

[Dan The Video Man]

I totally agree with this. I got a small samsung with slide out keyboard to take on school trips but that was it. I was allowed to have my own once I got a job in 11th grade.

I got my first cell phone when I was 18, I bought and paid for it myself along with purchasing my own plan. My parents didn't even have cell phones at this time (2003). The only real reason that I got it was that I was going to be leaving for basic training and wanted to be able to get a hold of family, friends and vice versa. Of course, we were not allowed to have phones in basic back then unlike now (that's another thing that pisses me off, but I'll save it for another thread) but after BT in our job training and once arrived at our permanent duty station, it was good to have.

 

[BlueC]

I suspect impossible unless you homeschool your kids nowadays.

Yep. I have a kindergartener in a local small rural public elementary school and they have google Chromebooks they use in class and for snow days, no way around it outside of homeschool.

On that topic, the whole "online learning day" to replace a called snow day is bullshit. We don't get much snow here, so when it does snow, we're partying as a community. I'll be damned if my kids are spending an entire snow day inside "learning". If they want to check in with us, we'll be outside drinking liquids and testing limits somewhere the ol' fashioned way.

 

[BlueC]

When I was a youngster, I had metal Tonka trucks and a massive pile of dirt

I'm about 5 years ahead of you in life and my kids play with my old Tonkas almost daily (a little rusty now , also selling at antique events, so there's that )

I'm 29 and married and will probably be having kids at some point in the new year. I'm very scared about what tech will look like in the next few years.

I suggest going into it informed, aware and mindful, not afraid. Tech has us surrounded, you just have to figure out what is needed, what is useful, and what has to be avoided. (like damn connected appliances I could rant on those like Zorba) You will have to put in a lot of extra effort and make choices beyond what the average person does. For example, my wife "had" to have a baby monitor system, or the baby would surely die. After doing a little research she found that wifi based setups were typically easily hacked, but UHF/VHF systems were local only with limited range, thus no real threat of some hacker.

 

[Dan The Video Man]

I laugh at the video baby monitor stuff that's on wifi and all that. I had a standard old school audio only baby monitor when the kids we're babies, but it wasn't so I could jump in there at the slightest noise. With the exception of the early days when they needed to eat in the middle of the night, they were learning how to self sooth themselves and fall back asleep. Didn't like the crying? Turn the volume down on the speaker!

 

[BlueC]

I laugh at the video baby monitor stuff that's on wifi and all that. I had a standard old school audio only baby monitor when the kids we're babies, but it wasn't so I could jump in there at the slightest noise. With the exception of the early days when they needed to eat in the middle of the night, they were learning how to self sooth themselves and fall back asleep. Didn't like the crying? Turn the volume down on the speaker!

We went with something like that, but with a grainy video too. I turned the volume down early on, but the wife might as well have taped it to her forehead until they were about 3. As a repurpose, I'm about to set up one of those cameras to see which one of my dogs is going through the trash at night. I'm afraid the cayenne pepper treatment has become a mere seasoning.

 

[Dan The Video Man]

At least you're finding a way to repurpose it!!

 

[red02tj]

"All schools have an agenda of one sort or another. Make sure their agenda aligns with yours."

This. We prioritized private school for this reason…my neighbor built a new pool and the electric BMW, always asked when we were going to to renovate…his 8th grader is a Brat and just had to switch to private school for academic reasons….we invested in the right school.

My wife is an elementary school teacher, and before she went back to work, she was in the kids school as as volunteer 3 days a week, either in the classroom or admissions office meeting new parents, and now this is her second year working there.

Even if you’re not a teacher, you better be in your kids classroom, not at the scripted parent/teacher night, or the holiday show, but the random Tuesday offering to volunteer or read books.

 

[Zorba]

This. We prioritized private school for this reason…my neighbor built a new pool and the electric BMW, always asked when we were going to to renovate…his 8th grader is a Brat and just had to switch to private school for academic reasons….we invested in the right school.

My wife is an elementary school teacher, and before she went back to work, she was in the kids school as as volunteer 3 days a week, either in the classroom or admissions office meeting new parents, and now this is her second year working there.

Even if you’re not a teacher, you better be in your kids classroom, not at the scripted parent/teacher night, or the holiday show, but the random Tuesday offering to volunteer or read books.

Do they still have room mothers?

 

[red02tj]

Do they still have room mothers?

Yep, and we’ve been one almost every year.

 

[Zorba]

Yep, and we’ve been one almost every year.

My mother was one of two room mothers when I was in kindergarten, and maybe 1st grade too.

 

[Squatch]

I had a standard old school audio only baby monitor when the kids we're babies

Sheeeeiiitt...that ain't old school. When I was a baby, my folks had a German Shephard that would sleep next to my crib. Apparently, anytime I would make a noise or move around, the dog would run and alert my folks by barking. Now that, my friend, is old school!

 

[speeding_infraction]

Sheeeeiiitt...that ain't old school. When I was a baby, my folks had a German Shephard that would sleep next to my crib. Apparently, anytime I would make a noise or move around, the dog would run and alert my folks by barking. Now that, my friend, is old school!

Oh yeah??? Back in my day, we had to cut a hole in the side of the crib, get beat up for that, and then had to go and wake my parents. Kids these days

 

[John Cooper]

Oh yeah??? Back in my day, we had to cut a hole in the side of the crib, get beat up for that, and then had to go and wake my parents. Kids these days

Youngen....

 

[Squatch]

Oh yeah??? Back in my day, we had to cut a hole in the side of the crib, get beat up for that, and then had to go and wake my parents. Kids these days

Oh, yeah? Well, back in my day...

Oh, never mind...

 

[DirtyDesertRat]

Oh my! When we were kids, we roamed the open lands around our suburbia like Wild Indians. We'd take off in the morning with a baloney sandwich, on our bicycles, or on foot, maybe toting a fishing pole and some matches. Water was to be found in the creek bottoms, what could be wrong with that? Yummy, squirrels and rabbits shot with a .22, toasted on a stick over flames.

Fun was to be had with dirt clod fights. Just hope you didn't get hammered by one that had a rock in it.

 

[Rubeyu]

Had and issue with the neighbor kids behind us. I went over and had a cordial conversation with the father about the issue. Couple hours later I got this note at my front door.

That's parenting done right .