It's entertainment overload!
Homemakerang sent me a link to her post from this morning about "What are parents coming to these days?"
I concur. One of my biggest pet-peeves are the little portable video game and DVD players that it seems very few children can go anywhere without anymore. They can't be unplugged long enough to even enjoy dinner out with their family. It's entertainment overload!
It reminds me of a time a few months ago when we were at a hotel enjoying swimming in the pool with my family. All of my siblings were being their usual in-the-pool rambunctious selves (trying to see who can swim the most laps the fastest, who can dunk who first, etc.) when I noticed a little boy, probably six years old, sitting in a chair off to the side of the pool. He was with his mom and grandma, it appeared, and he had his swim trunks on alright, but he wasn't a drop wet. Instead, he was sitting there engrossed in his Gameboy (well, it's probably not called a Gameboy nowadays - I think I'm dating myself!). He never looked up once, even when his mom or grandma talked to him. When they finally left, he could hardly walk because his eyes and concentration were completely absorbed in his electronic game.
Hello? Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned play and fun? Does everything have to be electronic nowadays? And we wonder why there is an obesity problem?
I concur. One of my biggest pet-peeves are the little portable video game and DVD players that it seems very few children can go anywhere without anymore. They can't be unplugged long enough to even enjoy dinner out with their family. It's entertainment overload!
It reminds me of a time a few months ago when we were at a hotel enjoying swimming in the pool with my family. All of my siblings were being their usual in-the-pool rambunctious selves (trying to see who can swim the most laps the fastest, who can dunk who first, etc.) when I noticed a little boy, probably six years old, sitting in a chair off to the side of the pool. He was with his mom and grandma, it appeared, and he had his swim trunks on alright, but he wasn't a drop wet. Instead, he was sitting there engrossed in his Gameboy (well, it's probably not called a Gameboy nowadays - I think I'm dating myself!). He never looked up once, even when his mom or grandma talked to him. When they finally left, he could hardly walk because his eyes and concentration were completely absorbed in his electronic game.
Hello? Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned play and fun? Does everything have to be electronic nowadays? And we wonder why there is an obesity problem?
posted by Crystal Paine at 11:30 AM
5 Comments:
We went on a family camping trip this summer and while my family was making s'mores over the campfire the boy in the campsite next to us had a towel over his head so the camfire glare wouldn't reflect off his portable DVD player. Very sad:(
I agree with you, Crystal! There was a commercial on TV that would always frustrate me. A father looking dirty and disheveled opens the door to a minivan to see two young boys playing a card game. The father says "Okay, it took me all weekend but I finished the treehouse!" The boys look at their father and ask him, "Does it have a DVD player?" (among other features of the minivan) When the father admits that the treehouse doesn't have any of those things, the boys shake their head and say, "No we're good in here!"
I hope my kids are never so desensitized by entertainment overload that they pass on a chance to spend time with their father!
The whole DVD in the mini-van bothers me. I have a friend who has one and she says it is a life saver on long trips, but we survived the long trips without a a tv and without a mini-van, come to think of it. Her kids are still young (ages 2-5). We are looking into getting a mini-van (used, ofcourse) and they all seem to have DVD players. I'm wondering if it is a bonus or not. Right now my 2 yr old either sleeps or looks out the wondow or plays wit his toy cars. I don't want him to be whining about wanting to watch a particular show.
your post reminds me of a similar one i made a year ago when hurricanes came thru our area. we all were safe but without power for a week or so. the stores like walmart had set up areas with items fr the kids to play with. you should have heard the groans from the kids and the sighs from the moms as they talked about how hard life would be wihout a playstation etc. horrible! my kids never even noticed the power outage- they just played like normal! and we have had the same experiences camping as the above reader!
Believe it or not ,I've even seen young children wearing a mini version of a computer game around their necks TO CHURCH!!
On a happier note,I've linked your blog to mine, Crystal,so my friends can enjoy & be challenged by your great posts too.
Claire
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