Yes, I did! I took away the electronic tablets.
E-Readers and tablets are great tools, this I cannot deny. In the hands of a child, however, they can be a tool that holds them back from true learning. Let me explain.
My son had a Kindle. It was meant to help him learn to read and to help him improve his movement skills. It definitely did help with the movement skills and a little with the reading. The problem is that when he used the it, I found that his attitude changed. He became increasingly agitated with it and also with the people around him. He became withdrawn and the more immersed he became in it the less responsive he was to the outside world. My son stopped learning how to interact with people and even reversed his ability to do that some. Over the summer, as he used it even more and the competition of school was removed, trips to the park and playing with friends or even his own father became battles over whether or not the Kindle would come with. Fortunately, it died but the Nook soon took it's place.
There really are few things more disturbing to me than a bunch of little kids sitting at the park playing with their electronic devices. They should be running, playing, and having fun interacting with things and other kids. This is very important to their social development. I think my son's social development actually took a step back. Kids would want him to play but he was too busy on that electronic device to care. One of the scary things that I witnessed was that when he actually did play on the playground, it was usually alone because he didn't know how to play with other kids.
When I look at the world today and see all of the kids getting into trouble, getting killed, or killing others it is frightening. Social media, certain movies, or videos aren't meant for kids and if left to their own devices the children will flock to them. They will become disengaged from the world and because it is over the computer they will not learn the consequences of their actions until that horrible moment when they exercise what they have learned on the computer into real life. It is important to be there for them to explain the difference between right and wrong. We can't let a computer raise our kids. There isn't a single thing more important that I can think of than raising our kids to be good people.
Yes it is convenient to let them use electronics for parents at times. I know I was able to get a lot more things done because, for the most part, he was quiet and busy. But when a child, or an adult for that matter, sits in front of a device all the time they become withdrawn, antisocial, and they forget that there are other things in life. Important things that will make or break their future. Talking to people, learning to properly communicate what you want or need to others, and learning how to work with others are valuable tools for growing into a responsible adult. Granted, children don't have that insight into the future that we do. It is our responsibility as parents to help them see it.
So yesterday, after I witnessed my son treating his father with an extreme amount of disrespect, because the rule was when his dad came to visit the Nook was turned off, I took it away. I did not do it without explanation. I told him that I believe that has become to distant from the things around him. And I also told him that I believe that he needed to learn how to interact with people and play. That I wanted him to grow up into a respectful caring young man and that I love him enough to know when he needs my help in making sure that happened.
Since I took it away, he has been more respectful, helpful, playful, and most importantly, HAPPY! This is not to say that he will never use the Nook again. It is only allowed on car trips and only for a few select, Mother approved, games. Absolutely NO INTERNET! It will be in extreme moderation.
He will learn so much more of life now. And, yes it certainly has been a learning experience for me too!
