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The Pit Parenting Thread

Caught the sixth grade daughter watching Friends on my iPad when she was supposed to be asleep last night. Only caught her because I wanted to use the iPad to rewatch the second half of Ep 6 of Stranger Things on Netflix because I fell asleep watching it the night before and we don't have a smart TV in our bedroom. So, no iPad for a week except for homework and the threat of greater punishment if we ever catch her with my iPad in her room after bedtime again.
 
Yeah, I pulled up this YouTube video to show friends and kids at a Christmas party.



The next video to autoplay was a "comedy" video that began with two dudes simulating buttsex. Everyone was impressed.
 
For those of you with kids out of diapers/pull ups at night, when did that happen? Does your kid wake up and go to the bathroom and go back to bed at night?
 
awakeandready said:
Uh what in the hell? I was just thinking maybe we get a tablet that the kid can use but maybe he should not have internet exposure ever.
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Unfortunately, not allowing an iGen kid to go online is analogous to kids that weren't allowed to go outside twenty years ago.

Just ditch autoplay on YouTube. Control their media consumption with apps like Cakey. Pay attention.

EDIT: I'll edit to admit that I don't have a child and I know it's the toughest job in life. I'd just like to caution against withholding tech as the supreme solution.
 
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TenaciousKory said:
Unfortunately, not allowing an iGen kid to go online is analogous to kids that weren't allowed to go outside twenty years ago.

Just ditch autoplay on YouTube. Control their media consumption with apps like Cakey. Pay attention.

EDIT: I'll edit to admit that I don't have a child and I know it's the toughest job in life. I'd just like to caution against withholding tech as the supreme solution.
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He’s 3. We’re still pretty safely in the “ok not to use the internet” period.
 
Sure. Didn't know that. Something to consider when he's older, obviously.
 
Mine is almost 5, and youtube has always freaked me out more than anything else. I posted a WaPo story awhile back about kids starting to mimic behavior of performing for non-existent audiences. I've seen my son exhibit some of that behavior.
 
awakeandready said:
For those of you with kids out of diapers/pull ups at night, when did that happen? Does your kid wake up and go to the bathroom and go back to bed at night?
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Like with everything, it's hard to remember. Girl ditched all that stuff sooner than Boy -- I think early age 3. Boy had pull-ups I think through age 4. Once asleep, they don't really get up and go to the bathroom at night.
 
TenaciousKory said:
Sure. Didn't know that. Something to consider when he's older, obviously.
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Yes, I thought the “no internet ever” was pretty obviously tongue in cheek. We probably WILL get a tablet soon, in reality, because I feel pretty strongly about limited/no screen time before 2 and have been trying to decide the best way to continue to supervise what #1 is watching but avoid #2 watching.
 
TenaciousKory said:
Unfortunately, not allowing an iGen kid to go online is analogous to kids that weren't allowed to go outside twenty years ago.

Just ditch autoplay on YouTube. Control their media consumption with apps like Cakey. Pay attention.

EDIT: I'll edit to admit that I don't have a child and I know it's the toughest job in life. I'd just like to caution against withholding tech as the supreme solution.
Click to expand...

My kids are just about 8 and 4, and I'm fully convinced that technology is horrific for kids. They, and all their friends, are such little shits after they play on the ipad or DS or whatever for any lengthy period of time. Their attitudes and personalities are so much better after they go play baseball or soccer or basketball, than when they have their head buried in a screen. It is awful. I am about at the point where I'm ready to cut it all out, and if that means that they are behind with respect to like 50% of employment opportunities then so be it; I'd rather have them open to 50% of employment and be decent people than be open to 100% of employment but be assholes.

I know the millennial response is to say to embrace the tech, but even millennials didn't have it growing up to the extent that little kids do now. The on-demand quality of life that they expect is absurd, because they have never known anything else.
 
Yeah, I deleted YouTube and YouTubeKids apps from my iPad when I saw some of the crap my 3.5 year old was watching.

iPad use is generally limited to rainy days, and I vet every app that she uses. There is some good stuff out there if you are willing to go through a bunch of shitty apps in search of something that is genuinely impressive in its ability to teach.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
My kids are just about 8 and 4, and I'm fully convinced that technology is horrific for kids. They, and all their friends, are such little shits after they play on the ipad or DS or whatever for any lengthy period of time. Their attitudes and personalities are so much better after they go play baseball or soccer or basketball, than when they have their head buried in a screen. It is awful. I am about at the point where I'm ready to cut it all out, and if that means that they are behind with respect to like 50% of employment opportunities then so be it; I'd rather have them open to 50% of employment and be decent people than be open to 100% of employment but be assholes.

I know the millennial response is to say to embrace the tech, but even millennials didn't have it growing up to the extent that little kids do now. The on-demand quality of life that they expect is absurd, because they have never known anything else.
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pretty sure there are a whole bunch of millennials on here saying they DON'T want their kids engrossed by it.

Assuming your kids have devices on which to watch things; how do you (or any other parents) regulate those? Do they get 30min screen time and then you take them away again? Do the kids have access to them at all times if they're done with homework?
I feel like when they're that young, you can still just walk in the room and flick the switch and send them outside after 30min or an hour or whatever.
PM's kids are 10 and 7, and this is still understood as The Way It Is (that an adult can giveth the technology and an adult can taketh away the technology). On a reddit thing I subscribe to, there are so many parents who seem to forget that they're in control. Just take the thing away if it's seeming like too much.
 
lbE08 said:
pretty sure there are a whole bunch of millennials on here saying they DON'T want their kids engrossed by it.

Assuming your kids have devices on which to watch things; how do you (or any other parents) regulate those? Do they get 30min screen time and then you take them away again? Do the kids have access to them at all times if they're done with homework?
I feel like when they're that young, you can still just walk in the room and flick the switch and send them outside after 30min or an hour or whatever.
PM's kids are 10 and 7, and this is still understood as The Way It Is (that an adult can giveth the technology and an adult can taketh away the technology). On a reddit thing I subscribe to, there are so many parents who seem to forget that they're in control. Just take the thing away if it's seeming like too much.
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Yeah, we just take them away when they've been used too much. But then we are the bad guys taking away their fun, which I don't mind but then they are annoying me and I would rather have them not used it in the first place. If they are just playing outside or with non-tech toys then they never go through the emotional rollercoaster.

Part of the problem is that a lot of homework has to be done on the computer or ipad. So while that is assigned homework, in my opinion it is also screen time. But in the kid's opinion it is not fun so shouldn't count. I get the benefits of learning on the computer, but honestly I'd rather the teacher just assign shit out of a book.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
Yeah, we just take them away when they've been used too much. But then we are the bad guys taking away their fun, which I don't mind but then they are annoying me and I would rather have them not used it in the first place. If they are just playing outside or with non-tech toys then they never go through the emotional rollercoaster.

Part of the problem is that a lot of homework has to be done on the computer or ipad. So while that is assigned homework, in my opinion it is also screen time. But in the kid's opinion it is not fun so shouldn't count. I get the benefits of learning on the computer, but honestly I'd rather the teacher just assign shit out of a book.
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Yeah, I feel you on the homework on computer. I understand the utility of IXL, but at the same time... ugh. We usually just say "you get 15min of minecraft after you finish that module" and that's fine.

Girl is actually a little less computer/screen-obsessed, although she does reaaallly like to go to neighbor's house where her friend has a tablet. Thankfully we can let parents know that it's a 'no screen time' time, and they'll make sure the kids aren't just holed up somewhere with the iPad. In general, all the neighbor parents are on board with this - it's good to know all the kids know when it is or isn't screen time.
 
awakeandready said:
For those of you with kids out of diapers/pull ups at night, when did that happen? Does your kid wake up and go to the bathroom and go back to bed at night?
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We did regular potty training at about 2.5 but she still wore pull-ups to bed until probably close to 3.5 (IIRC). She was such a good sleeper we were afraid to interrupt her. She had occasional accidents for a while, but they started to get less frequent, and she hasn't had one in at least a few months know (knock on wood) and she's about 4.5.

Very very rarely she'll wake up and go overnight, but most of the time she just sleeps all night without having to go.
 
re: screen time, I am not entirely sure how we've managed it, but our 4.5 year old doesn't really get too much screen time, and she (so far) doesn't seem to know what she's missing.

I think the majority of it has to do with the fact that she has a long school day with aftercare, so on a week day, we're basically awake and together from like 6:45-8am and 5:30-7:30pm. So the morning is mostly getting dressed, breakfast, getting ready. And the evening is dinner, little bit of playtime, reading before bed, etc.

Weekends are when she ends up getting some, but thus far it hasn't been in tablet form. She gets to watch a couple YouTube things (in my lap) while I cut her nails. But so far they've been stupid counting or nursery rhymes or stuff like that. Then depending on whether we have stuff we need to get done (or we want to close our eyes on the couch while the 1 year old takes a nap), we'll turn on Daniel Tiger for her or a movie (I think the only ones she's seen so far are Trolls, Sing, Moana, and Frozen).

Sometimes I wonder if she's missing out on anything by not having seen more of the popular kid TV shows or movies, but then I realize she has plenty of time to get hooked on that stuff.

We're still not totally sold on keeping her in her Montessori school through elementary (her current school is PK3-6), but I have to admit that the lesser amounts of technology there is somewhat appealing.
 
Fixing to take our first all-family flight where we'll have a car at the destination. How do you guys handle car seats for the kids when you fly somewhere?
 
We flew frontier with our little one, and they allowed us to check the carseat, base, and stroller for free. It was super easy. Check the airline website you're flying and they'll probably have recommendations.
 
Car seats usually check free although a pain in the ass to carry around. Rental car places rent seats but those are gross and if they leave you hanging cause they are “out” your screwed.
 
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