Wild wallabies and curious children at Daisy Hill Koala Centre
Following on from yesterdays post, I have been musing about technology and children and how navigating these murky waters can be so difficult. I have seen it often with my friends and family, and I have used their experiences as inspiration in making my own decisions regarding the consumption of technology in our household. I know my children are growing up in a technological age, but I resist the possibility of them being sucked in to a world of video games and you tube clips. We are not without technology in our house. My husband and I both have smart phones, we have one lap top and one tv. However. we have no games on our phones and no games on the laptop. We have no ipads or ipods. We do have Foxtel (as part of our internet bundle) and Netflix - which is purely a luxury. So what they do get is limited access to the television, where they can choose which programs they want to watch.
What I have found is that my children do not miss what they have never had. While many of their friends are spending hours on computers and ipads each day, they have access to neither. Last year Cohen had used Reading Eggs on my computer for Prep, but he has out grown it now, reading chapter books instead. He has occasionally asked for games like minecraft, as his friends play them, but he soon looses interest in the idea.
I don't want for my children to be technologically illiterate. I know computers will be a large part of their future. But I also see how unhealthy habits develop quite young, and how important mindful carers are to ensuring children don't shun outside play in favor of virtual worlds of their creation. I'm quite sure that computer games have their merits, and that there are important lessons that can be learnt from them. But with a six, three and one year old, I also feel there is plenty of time for that in the future.
How do you handle technology in your house?
Does the good outweigh the bad, or vice versa?
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