… We have a rule that books aren’t presents, they’re educational, and this falls into the same category…

How awful to have missed the joy or reading for pleasure. 🙁

Mini Cooper has an iPad, she’s had it for a couple of years (she’s 5 now)

:-O

Bonkers – buying an iPad for a three year old.

Our two (just turned 6) have access to ours but only at the weekend and NEVER when we are out (ie, no taking them to restaurants/ friends etc when socialising).

I really do not think there is any justifiable reason to buy such stuff for children of that age.

Sadly we can’t learn for our kids, we can share our experiences, but they rarely listen – I was no different, I learned most this the hard way.

If he’s not fussed about the iPad, leave it broken, when it becomes important to him he’ll appreciate its value.

If he’s spent all his money, he can’t do things that cost money – that’s a good lesson for us all sometimes.

Certain irony here from posters calling for the world to put down their little screens and live life…. Whilst posting on the Internet!!

Could have written that OP as little as 6 months ago, when a .school skiing trip resulted in lost phone (6weeks old), iPod (older but no less irritating) bank card, wallet etc etc

There is light at the end of the tunnel. He went round all the shops in the town centre asking for Saturday work a couple of weeks ago (no joy as they all require a minimum age of 16 – he’s 14 but looks about 17!) He’s desperate to start earning some money and is hatching a plan to become a caddy at a local golf course.

On the ‘always online’ thing we are just beginning to take steps…..

If we were 5yo kids posting on here you might have a point.

…oh hang on

How awful to have missed the joy or reading for pleasure

Who? Offspring loves reading.

Bonkers – buying an iPad for a three year old.

Except, as I said, I didn’t. I got a new one, she got the old one.

You need to put kids in their place. The are very low in the pecking order in the family. Simple.

The kid’s place is as an equal member of the family – there is no pecking order. Sometimes we have to tell her to do something, but we also explain why we want her to do it.

This thread is funny 😉

Mitigates it slightly but still – a child of that age shouldn’t (in my opinion) have such stuff.

We have two iPads (recently bought a mini to replace my broken iPod) but the older iPad has not been given to our children – it remains ours and the children are allowed to use it at the weekend.

My son had technology given to him mostly as he wanted it and it became available.

He probably had a similar attitude to the op’s kid at that age.

He’s 19 now and seems like a well rounded individual who can hold a conversation and doesn’t go round randomly smashing things.

My above to the op is be cross, get the screen repaired and buy a decent case that stays on it. We used to say ‘no case, you don’t get to use it’ with him and we do with our 13 year old daughter too.

Then, as I was saying, our youth should be trained from the first in a stricter system, for if amusements become lawless, and the youths themselves become lawless, they can never grow up into well-conducted and virtuous citizens.

Said Plato, nearly two and half thousand years ago.

My son’s ipad was a result of him having earnt the cash himself doing a pamphlet run on sundays (with our help at times). Kids can earn the cash if they are keen (child labour and all that), he is 11 and we do help him, however I had a morning paper round at his age and it never hurt me apparently (twitches a bit and drools). When he bought it he was aware of the limitations, not to be used in the bedroom, screen time limits, screen bans for bad behaviour means it gets confiscated for set times, etc.

Never had to give my daughter a screen ban, but she would rather read a book (seen as very unfair by my son though)

£5 for washing the car?! No wonder he turned his nose up at it, I was earning that 20 years ago 😀 You’re obviously a Tory paying those kinds of wages 😉

It’s terrifying to see a regime of physical abuse being proffered as good parenting advice.

“Never did me any harm”

Yes it did, as you think it’s a good idea now. Appreciate that, and break the cycle.

This thread illustrates why teaching a class of 30 kids from different homes can be so hard.
Time limits on media devices – it’s that simple. Teaches responsibility and boundaries. Turfing our 11yr old off Minecraft earlier he looked over my shoulder and said “what even IS single track” 😳

“Never did me any harm”
Yes it did, as you think it’s a good idea now. Appreciate that, and break the cycle.

Seriously? That’s the best you can come up with.

I’d argue having a pamphlet run which takes 1-2 hours a week is not a bad way for a kid to earn some cash to but what they want, especially as it is supervised and we help him with it. It makes extra work for us but helps him with the idea of responsibility and gives him a bit of responsibility.

Seriously? That’s the best you can come up with.

If physical abuse or even the threat of is considered effective then you’ve already lost.

Woefully retarded attitudes to children being displayed by the moderators on here of late

Proud to be father a of 3 and cycle breaker.

Mitigates it slightly but still – a child of that age shouldn’t (in my opinion) have such stuff.

A lot cheaper, and a lot more useful than those daft “travel system” pushchair things that seem obligatory for kids – we never bothered with any of that stuff.

iPad? You know there are cheaper tablets, right ?

Our family has a Hudl between us. Important tool for learning how to share.

Bencooper- totally different. One is for the adults, the other is spoiling children with expensive gifts.

BTW – our two asked for them for their 6th birthdays. They were told in no uncertain terms that they would not be getting such expensive things and that when they are older they could earn the money to buy their own.

Oh shit I clearly misread the above post. 😳

Woefully retarded attitudes to children being displayed by the moderators on here of late

I’m glad you’re keeping a list.

iPad? You know there are cheaper tablets, right ?
Our family has a Hudl between us. Important tool for learning how to share.

Where as we have 3 iPads and my kids still know how to share.

Jondoh- No child was ever spoiled by expensive gifts..
Children are spoiled by bad parenting..

Where as we have 3 iPads and my kids still know how to share

Did I say it was the only tool? 🙄

No of course not I’m not even sure why you mentioned it.

Bencooper- totally different. One is for the adults, the other is spoiling children with expensive gifts.

They’re both for parents who don’t want to interact with their child.

I’m kidding – but you get my point.

Is it possible not to have a travel system pushchair and for the kids not to have their own iPad? Or would that get you banned from Waitrose?

BTW – our two asked for them for their 6th birthdays. They were told in no uncertain terms that they would not be getting such expensive things and that when they are older they could earn the money to buy their own.

Same here. We have a family iPad (competition prize!), and old (given to us) laptop and my work laptop.

The kids when the go to secondary get a secondhand, middling Android phone. If they want a nice one, save up.

If they need to save more, wait until you are 13 for a paper round, or go clean my car/pull weeds/clean the bathroom/cook a meal and you get an extra 50p.

My eldest two (12 and 13) have now both saved and bought MotoG phones themselves. They look after them so carefully, and seeing as we buy one top up a month, are also careful with texts and useage.

We and the kids are not perfect, far from it, but I am really keen our kids learn that if they want something in life, they better work hard for it.

To the OP – if he smashed it, I wouldn’t replace it, AND I would have another punishment (pay for repair out of his pocket money?).

Is it possible not to have a travel system pushchair and for the kids not to have their own iPad? Or would that get you banned from Waitrose?

Are you mad? How are you going to demonstrate your superiority to all other parents if you do that?

You’ll have to resort to loudly asking them to read all the foreign cheese labels to show how smart they are or something.

😆

Christ an iPad for his birthday?! I always thought my parents were generous but there’s no way on earth id of gotten something as expensive as an iPad for my birthday.

Did you only get an Orange for Christmas too?
Usually. I usually also got a book, same at Christmas. They were much treasured, and I still have most of them.

Kids that don’t care

How do other people, teachers, etc see your child? What feedback do you get?
IME if your child knows how to behave this is when you’ll hear about it

As a wealthy adult with an easy come, easy go attitude to “stuff”, I do not have an iPad because I cannot trust myself not to drop it in the bath or sit on it by accident.

😉

I do not have an iPad because I cannot trust myself not to drop it in the bath or sit on it by accident.

That was my feeling about having a child – especially seeing what usually happens to our houseplants.

I am intrigued by the lack of a hierarchy in some households. I had this conversation with my 11 and 13 year olds the other day, interestingly about electronic time – it has always been our policy that there are no electronics after dinner. They suggested that as they were older they might now be allowed. We had a long and productive conversation about it. However, as I explained to them, this is not a democracy and I will make the decision although I will listen to their points. If anything, it’s a benevolent dictatorship. They seem quite content and there will still be no electronics after supper!

However, as I explained to them, this is not a democracy and I will make the decision although I will listen to their points. If anything, it’s a benevolent dictatorship.

😉

Seems a waste having it sit there broken. Can you get the screen repaired. Then allow him to buy back time by doing jobs? If I remember correctly you can set times and app locks. If he’s interested then he’ll work if not, and no one else uses it, then sell it.

He seems like a stroppy(pre)teen. He’ll need some time to fester before emerging as a human being.

However, as I explained to them, this is not a democracy and I will make the decision although I will listen to their points. If anything, it’s a benevolent dictatorship.

i got my 4yr old daughter an old ipod touch off ebay. told her its her own phone. (kids dont realise the concept of these devices is to make telephone calls) but she can have all her kids apps on there so they dont clog mine or the mrs’ phones. she can take pictures and she receives emails from us and her grandparents.

tbf, she did drop it by accident and caused a small crack in the screen – she was inconsolable!

she’s nearly six now, think ill let her have my ipad when i upgrade..