How wired is your family?

[CatholicSam]

TV in kids bedrooms? I can think of little else more depressing than a kid being in their room alone playing video games or watching TV. That is something I’ll never ever allow. One TV for the family is enough.:twocents:

Yes, it makes me so sad to see families where everyone is locked away in their own room watching their own show on their own TV. Sad! And to see all the “cute”, colorful *kids’ *TVs and DVD players for sale in the store… !

 

[manualman]

Good luck with that. She is only 9. Just wait. Just wait. She is a GIRL and she is not a teenager yet. Just wait.

Ah, I remember when we said that, too - no cell phones, computers. Enjoy the innocence naivety now, because once that 9 year old turns into a teen, it’s all over. Just wait.

Computers, actually, are required for many schools, FYI. Our high school is requiring them (and providing laptops) for every student next year.

Sorry you are unable to say “no” to your kids when they whine. We’ve gotten rather good at it. I’m guessing from the fact that your school district has enough money to blow on ‘giving away’ laptops that you live in a rather rich area. IMO, it DOES tend to make it harder if your kids peers are spoiled. People rolled their eyes at me when I said I’d never have cable TV too (what, no Disney channel?! Your poor wee ones…) But I never caved.

 

[armywife]

We have:

2 laptops one is family and one is DH’s (3 if you count the one hooked up to the tv that we use for netflix instant play, it doesn’t get used for anything else as it’s a dinosaur.)

2 cell phones (unlimited texting, no data) and we don’t have a land line

The most basic cable and internet that the monthly bill is $64

No gaming systems of any sort

We’ve already said that the kids can have cell phones as teens that will be issued if they are going out and those will be prepaid only. I think we’ll have to get a third prepaid to keep in the house when our oldest is home alone. She’s just getting old enough to be left while I run errands. I’m pretty sure when they get to highschool they’ll have computers but not all of them will be connected to the internet.

 

[kib]

Technology is great as long as you can walk away from it when you want or need to.

College would have been so difficult without a laptop and cell phone, and the internship I had to complete for my degree would have been impossible without them.

 

[dontknow]

College would have been so difficult without a laptop and cell phone, and the internship I had to complete for my degree would have been impossible without them.

That’s different - there’s a fundamental need and use.

No teenager needs half of the multimedia stuff that’s marketed to them any more than they need 100.00 sneakers. Many people buy into their game hook, line and sinker and then wonder why the kid feels entitled and the need to “keep up”.

 

[kib]

That’s different - there’s a fundamental need and use.

No teenager needs half of the multimedia stuff that’s marketed to them any more than they need 100.00 sneakers. Many people buy into their game hook, line and sinker and then wonder why the kid feels entitled and the need to “keep up”.

I totally agree. However, I don’t see anything wrong with a teen playing Wii for a few hours a week or having an MP3 player, as long as use is monitored and the family can afford it.

 

[PaulinVA]

Sorry you are unable to say “no” to your kids when they whine. We’ve gotten rather good at it. I’m guessing from the fact that your school district has enough money to blow on ‘giving away’ laptops that you live in a rather rich area. IMO, it DOES tend to make it harder if your kids peers are spoiled. People rolled their eyes at me when I said I’d never have cable TV too (what, no Disney channel?! Your poor wee ones…) But I never caved.

Ouch!

I wouldn’t consider saying no to your kids as some badge of honor.

Nor would I equate Cable TV, iPods, cell phones or laptops to being spoiled. Yes, there are spoiled kids who have a lot. There are also kids from affluent homes who work hard to save money to buy the things that are important to them.

Being spoiled is an attitude of entitlement. I’ve seen kids from all economic situations who were spoiled; you don’t have to have everything to feel entitled.

 

[logic_oriented]

Currently my family consists of me in my apartment. I have:

• Comcast cable internet, ~$53/month
• Comcast limited cable TV, free with internet
• iPhone, ~$73/month (I worked at Best Buy when I signed up, hence the lower cost)
• Xbox Live, $50/year
• Xbox and computer games, ~$60/month (I try to limit myself to one new game or a couple of used ones per month)
• Computer components, ~$50/month (that’s just a guess, any given component is a lot more, but I try to spread them out over the year)

And then of course there’s the added cost on the electric bill to run everything. I tend to think of it as alternative heating though, with a giant desktop computer, a laptop, two monitors, the Xbox, Wii, modem, router, external hard drive, etc. all running, I don’t actually have to turn the heat on very often

 

[whatevergirl]

*We have all the gadgets…it is all in moderation, though. My kids have time limits on video games (yes they can become horribly addictive) …our son has a phone because he rides his bike home with his sister on most days after school, when my husband and I can’t pick them up…and so he needs it for emergencies. Neither likes texting. Neither has FB or myspace…they never seemed into it, and I was happy about that. I don’t believe kids need to be on FB or myspace, that’s just me. But, we do have a cable package, ps3 hooked up to the net in my son’s room, etc…it’s all in moderation. Technology is good, but it can overtake a person’s life in a hurry, if not too careful. They have done studies that cell phone use, too much of it, can cause brain tumors…so dh and I try not to use them all that much. I’m not big on cell phones, except for emergencies…dh and I commute on a busy highway, we need to be able to call someone if we get a flat or something and are stuck. I don’t like them all that much, otherwise. *

 

[dontknow]

I totally agree. However, I don’t see anything wrong with a teen playing Wii for a few hours a week or having an MP3 player, as long as use is monitored and the family can afford it.

I don’t disagree… My point is parental decision making - not because the kids “want it” - I wanted a ton of things my parents didn’t get for me cause they couldn’t afford it or plain and simple - didn’t want me to have it.

Balance and “who’s in control” to make the choices is my point.

 

[logic_oriented]

I’m guessing from the fact that your school district has enough money to blow on ‘giving away’ laptops that you live in a rather rich area.

Not necessarily. I went to high school in a not terribly affluent area, and our district had its fair share of budget problems. Through some convoluted politics, we ended up with a technology grant that provided loaner laptops to every student that were handed out at the start of each year and turned back in at the end. The money could only be used for that purpose, towards the end of one year we had laptops, but no printer paper in classrooms.

 

[whatevergirl]

I don’t disagree… My point is parental decision making - not because the kids “want it” - I wanted a ton of things my parents didn’t get for me cause they couldn’t afford it or plain and simple - didn’t want me to have it.

Balance and “who’s in control” to make the choices is my point.

*Yep…exactly. Technology hasn’t caused the social ills we see in society…it’s the excessive usage of them by kids and adults. I’m guilty at times, of over usage on the net. Definitely a good excuse for why I’m not mopping the floor or doing a housechore. I was too busy on the net. Technology is tricky like that…it’s helped us in many ways, but it’s slowly hindered us in other ways. In the movie Doubt, the nun played by Meryl Streep makes an interesting comment…’‘the easier way now will have consequences later.’’ So true.

We have two computers…one with a printer for the kids to use, kind of an older model…and a newer laptop we got last year. Wasn’t really the plan, our PC crashed, and we went out an bought a laptop…then my dh found someone who could fix the PC for cheap, I mean cheap! So now we have two. It’s funny how you can take a ‘‘nice to have’’ and make it a ‘‘want.’’ Now, we can’t imagine not having two computers. lol *

 

[whatevergirl]

Ouch!

I wouldn’t consider saying no to your kids as some badge of honor.

Nor would I equate Cable TV, iPods, cell phones or laptops to being spoiled. Yes, there are spoiled kids who have a lot. There are also kids from affluent homes who work hard to save money to buy the things that are important to them.

Being spoiled is an attitude of entitlement. I’ve seen kids from all economic situations who were spoiled; you don’t have to have everything to feel entitled.

*Agreed. I think it’s in moderation…and being a parent who sets boundaries if need be. *

 

[Snugglebugmom]

DH and I each have a computer with internet access. We got a Wii for Christmas, but we have no games other than the ones that came with it, and the Wii Fit DVD. We have one land line phone. Oh, and we have one (cable) tv. That’s it. I guess in today’s society that makes us a little backward.
Our kids are still young, but even when they get older there is no way they will be having a tv in their room, or a computer without supervised access. I don’t think it’s necessary.

 

[whatevergirl]

Both kids have tv’s in their room…it’s never been a problem. Interestingly, when you give kids some room to become responsible…and trust them, they might surprise you. lol My kids actually don’t watch a lot of tv in their rooms, we typically watch tv together as a family more often than anyone watches tv by themselves. Again, if you have good relationships with your kids, shouldn’t be a problem. After reading through here, maybe I would be considered by some as a parent who spoils, but I don’t think so really. They do well in school, and are responsible…have to teach kids consequences…not always keep things from them because you think because their kids they will automatically mess up. I just don’t parent like that. If you teach kids right from wrong, if you develop good communication with your kids, if they work hard to earn your trust…then, you shouldn’t be worried that owning a cell phone or an ipod is going to throw that all away. Just my two cents…

 

[CountrySinger]

My family: my two cats and I.
We have two computers (a Mac and a PC, the Mac is for my music producing and fooling around with my recordings, I have programs that allow me to record my singing voice, and then add background music to it without spending $100 an hour in a studio). I have my guitar and keyboard hooked up to it, and a nice microphone, it’s my home studio, which takes over my dining room. Oops. Well, I’m a single girl, so do I really need a separate room to eat?
High-speed internet
Wii with fitness games
Sidekick phone with unlimited texting and Bing (saved my life when I was hopelessly lost in my new city)
Cable (the internet and cable package was cheaper than internet by itself, so why not?)
Itouch Ipod (wonderful for long commutes)

Pretty soon I’ll need to get a laptop when I start grad school (a program requirement).
The ipod and phone allow me to have something to do while eating meals by myself (AWKWARD), so people assume I must be working.
I’m a tech geek who is also a woman.

 

[whatevergirl]

Are those brand names, CS? Bing and Sidekick? I really don’t know. My kids bought me an ipod shuffle (the little one) for mother’s day a few years ago…I just love it for workouts and cleaning the house…can blast my tunes as loud as I like without disrupting a soul.

 

[turboEDvo]

Both kids have tv’s in their room…it’s never been a problem. Interestingly, when you give kids some room to become responsible…and trust them, they might surprise you. lol My kids actually don’t watch a lot of tv in their rooms, we typically watch tv together as a family more often than anyone watches tv by themselves. Again, if you have good relationships with your kids, shouldn’t be a problem. After reading through here, maybe I would be considered by some as a parent who spoils, but I don’t think so really. They do well in school, and are responsible…have to teach kids consequences…not always keep things from them because you think because their kids they will automatically mess up. I just don’t parent like that. If you teach kids right from wrong, if you develop good communication with your kids, if they work hard to earn your trust…then, you shouldn’t be worried that owning a cell phone or an ipod is going to throw that all away. Just my two cents…

+1 on that

Eamon

 

[CountrySinger]

Are those brand names, CS? Bing and Sidekick? I really don’t know. My kids bought me an ipod shuffle (the little one) for mother’s day a few years ago…I just love it for workouts and cleaning the house…can blast my tunes as loud as I like without disrupting a soul.

A Sidekick is a phone with a keyboard, and you can surf the internet on it, it’s an older version. My mom got it for me, so it has sentimental value. And Bing is a search engine, business locator, and map. I can say I’m at a specific intersection ,and it will give me step by step directions to where I need to go. I can also say I’m looking for a particualr business, it will tell all the ones near me. When I first moved up here, I had no clue where I was, and it prevented me from walking around downtown Seattle lost after dark.
I love my ipod for workouts. I have several TV shows on it, and it makes the treadmill time fly by.

 

[whatevergirl]

A Sidekick is a phone with a keyboard, and you can surf the internet on it, it’s an older version. My mom got it for me, so it has sentimental value. And Bing is a search engine, business locator, and map. I can say I’m at a specific intersection ,and it will give me step by step directions to where I need to go. I can also say I’m looking for a particualr business, it will tell all the ones near me. When I first moved up here, I had no clue where I was, and it prevented me from walking around downtown Seattle lost after dark.
I love my ipod for workouts. I have several TV shows on it, and it makes the treadmill time fly by.

Oh that sounds really cool! (the bing)