computergeek:
From your point of view. Well done and keep up the good work. Active parenting is difficult, but you're doing it and slaying it.

thank u

The world is fast changing o.
That was how I visited my uncle's house and I was just holding my phone in that usual position of pretending not to pay attention to the discussion he was having with his wife.
I didn't even know that the kids are already taking positions and drawing formation on where to sit and watch everything I was doing on my phone to the extent they were even pushing themselves because of whom should sit and where. I was like whattttttttt! What if I was watching porn cos it took me almost a minute or there about to notice their presence behind me.
I quickly talked to my uncle concerning the dangers such freedom poses on their moral behavior and the sorry face he was wearing while I speak was a clear indication that he never cautioned them against such act.
May God help us o

Giving a toddler a smartphone, who does that? When you allow your children below the age of 18 access to smartphone you are exposing them to social vices in the internet. Note that you will not be around them always to keep eyes on them on what they browsing. They may be tempted to visit adult site. This was what I told my pupils I caught with smartphone watching movie during school hour. The one that brought the phone said her dad gave it to her. I wonder how parents of these days show love to their wards. You don't have to give a child all he demands to show you care and love them else one day he/she will demand for and do the unimaginable.

computergeek:
She's a real bae. So adorable.

Thanks so much. I hope you have put in a vote for her.

2year old surfing the net n downloading games?...or am i d one lost?

Kingsintei:
2year old surfing the net n downloading games?...or am i d one lost?

Lol. What century are you in and how are the children there like? He shaa wasn't browsing. He just learned how to navigate to Games section in play store and download anything he sees there.

computergeek:
Lol. What century are you in and how are the children there like? He shaa wasn't browsing. He just learned how to navigate to Games section in play store and download anything he sees there.

... I wasn't arguing ma'am..

Kingsintei:
2year old surfing the net n downloading games?...or am i d one lost?

Lol! He's a very smart 2 year old hahaha

midnighter:


Lol! He's a very smart 2 year old hahaha

this hanty can sell the devil and collect change

computergeek:
this hanty can sell the devil and collect change

Lol I am not selling anything o

computergeek:
Nah not until 18. At least 13.

I'm glad you are a computer geek. Go on YouTube and check out these two videos maybe it will change your mind. I will just post the titles here:

1. You will wish you had watched this before you started using the social media. The twisted truth.

2. Instagram is ruining your life.

I am sure there are other videos out there, but these two have changed my perception of the internet totally. Before you hand your child that smart phone, please watch these videos.

The first video shows Mark Zuckerberg at the very end in a weird situation.

I'll urge you to watch it.

niaralandtopuser:

we have 12yrs old adults these days. a better approach will be to teach the child a good way to use the phone.
you can't keep the phone away forever or is it okay if he get spoil after 18?

A 12 y/o is not and can not be an adult no matter how woke they are.

FrLukas:


A 12 y/o is not and can not be an adult no matter how woke they are.

True

Lalasticlala

Mynd44 please push to FP.

crackhaus:



Try out the library thing, you don't necessarily have to build a shelf or dedicate a space yet - that's putting the cart before the horse.
Just buying a book whenever you see one that catches your fancy is a great idea and before you know it, you're having so much that you will need a shelf for them.

Kids who see their parents doing more reading than texting/watching TV subconsciously begin taking after them, it's an acquired habit.

You're very correct. My own 'library' is stored in several bedraggled, rat eaten Ghana-must-go-bags. All na library

Aunty computergeek, you're a great writer. You should consider writing short stories.

Give them phones without SIM and data.

Download lots of educational stuffs and transfer to their phones.
There is time for everything. Both reading, watching tv, playing games with their phones and playing outside as the case may be.
Besides,school give lots of reading stuffs as assignments. Let them finish that first.

My only problem is that u must join them to read and sometimes act

Ishilove:

You're very correct. My own 'library' is stored in several bedraggled, rat eaten Ghana-must-go-bags. All na library

Lol

You this woman, if rats have begun eaten your Ghana-must-go bags, it's time to get a shelf na.

Ishilove:
Aunty computergeek, you're a great writer. You should consider writing short stories.

I love this woman... Thanks Ishi. That your Iyawo Nylon bag kept me busy for a whole week last year! How about publishing it? Or have you already?

computergeek:
When most people hear the word addiction, they think narcotics, sex, gambling and outright vices.

However, an addiction is basically compulsive engagement in an activity for rewarding stimuli despite the adverse consequences.

All addictions work the same way. Cocaine works by flooding your brain's pleasure centers with dopamine, a happy hormone and stimulating a sense of false euphoria. When you pick up your phone to watch IG videos 100 times a day, you're stimulating the same reaction.

Smartphones aren't outrightly harmful like narcotics (although they emit radioactive energy that may be harmful in the long run), but for toddlers, they are easily destructive.



Most parents are in the habit of giving their little children smart phones to keep them busy or occupied. You're training that child in such a way that when you take away the phone, they spiral into withdrawal and begin to lash out.

According to top addiction expert and researcher Mandy Salagri, giving your child a smartphone is like "giving the a gram of coke."

I'm a digital person and I love tech gadgets. I'm not against children using tech devices but you see smartphones can be really destructive parenting.


I know this because, I'm guilty of it.


,..............................



When my son was about a year and six months old, I started giving him my phone to keep him distracted when I was busy. He was always crawling all over me, seeking attention and it really slowed me down. He became so addicted to phones that by the time he was two, uncle will not eat or poop or do anything without a smartphone.


He'd download all the games in the world and play all day long. I guess he was watching me the few times I used the phone to go to playstore Games section to download ABCD games for him (and he never liked those ones). Sometimes I'll be hearing gunshots coming the phone. Na the kind violent game he dey play. I remember the day my father-in-law came over unannounced to see his grandson. He saw this boy sitting on his pottie, pooping while totally engrossed in his father's phone. Grandpa had to scream his name several times before he looked up.

You need to see the scolding my husband and I received that day for being irresponsible parents grin

Another incident was when we went to my friend's child dedication. I brought rice and tried to feed my son but he refused to eat because he was too engrossed in the game he was playing. I took the phone from him and this Uncle launched into a terrible tantrum and seriously embarrassed me there. I had to kuku give it back to him.

Sometimes, he'll go to school and bring back his lunch untouched because there was no phone to press while eating.


When he turned 3, we decided enough was enough. We stopped giving him phones entirely and he only got to use his kiddies tablet a couple of hours a day. The first time I removed a phone from his hand, he cried for hours and refused to eat. I hardened my heart and ignored him. He later came by himself and asked for the food.

He gradually began to get the idea and even his dad stopped giving him phones. He began to read all the children's books we'd been buying for him and he watched cartoons more. After about six months, uncle forgot all about phones and turned over a new leaf.


He's four now and is growing into a responsible kid. He loves story books and can read a book 50 times, memorizing all the words before moving on to another.


,..............


I turned my son into a brat because I was raising him with the smartphone distraction strategy. It's more destructive than it may seem. The way little children use phones these days eh, e dey fear me. My friend caught her 7-year-old girl watching p*rn the other day. We no even fit talk sef.


Smartphones won't help your toddlers. Buy them books and kids educational tablets instead. Yes, kids in the modern world are inventing stuff and being innovative because of early exposure to technology, but there are now modern devices that make these things suitable for kids. Even the most renowned tech gurus in the world will restrict their children's internet access and phone usage. A smartphone is not what will make your child become an innovative tech genius. Buy them used, old computers and let them learn how to dismantle and re-assemble. Show them videos of tech guys building stuff on YouTube. Don't give them phones to go and start learning how to snap the perfect snap chat selfies at age 5.



Follow my latest diary for regular, enticing updates. Chronicles of a Career Mama - In my Feelings:

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Lalasticlala, Mynd44, Seun, Dominique, RoyalRoy. Lala you are a now daddy grin of a VIP lady. Biko move to front page so other parents can see the gist too.

First off, instead of giving you child a phone, get him a leap frog academy edition. This is a tablet by leapfrog. Makers of educational toys. It is edutainment that is on it. Also, only you can install apps, so you can decide what to install.

Even with your android phone, all you need to do is 1 ) password your playstore and games you don’t want your kids to play, or even better, create a separate kids profile on the phone. No need for all this scorched earth.

My kids have PCs. We have a gaming pc. My daughter is very disciplined, but my son is not. I have set up the all their PCs as family devices. This means I can
Restrict their hours on the PCs
Restrict the apps they use
Get a full report on their use.

Take all of these things with an administrator approach.

Your children will have to use PCs in this world we live in.

The cartoons the kid is watching are not much better, unless you are watching cbeebies or pbs. Everything else is mindless entertainment.

the reason why France and part of Australia banned use of phones and tablets by students in schools

computergeek:
Lol. What century are you in and how are the children there like? He shaa wasn't browsing. He just learned how to navigate to Games section in play store and download anything he sees there.

Uncle is VERY smart. You should harness it

Well that is HIS opinion
U need to keep children occupied either by giving them gadgets to watch movies(which u check on of course) or sending them out to play

This story is specially dedicated to Naira Marley's mother

Since there is no “studies say” in the write-up my mind has gone on vacation.

crackhaus:
Nothing trumps introducing kids to reading books as a means of distraction. Cell phones do absolutely nothing for them, I said absolutely nothing.

The problem is that most adults don't even read - browsing internet articles and reading pdf books online don't count.
More people ought to grow a library collection of hard-copy books for themselves. This makes it easier to pass the same habit to the kids.

Our grandparents and parents rocked bellbottoms and used gramophones
Things evolve
And there ain't nothing wrong with reading online
Ur work situation determines your social habits

Rosarie:
Madam that is not true,the fact you did not raise your son in his early days does not mean same for everyone.
There is what you call moderations and again parents of these days DO NOT SPANK THEIR KIDS,believe it or not.spanking resets brain.
I am a mother of three girls,
My first is 6 now,I give them phones,educational toys and books,it's all balanced.
I was once a teacher and things I saw in lol kids as young as 4 in Benin shocked me.
I started teaching them sex education at an early age,they use kiddies YouTube when using phone.my daughter of 6 has a Nokia torch light cos I leave them to go out when they are home,
My kids and I are besties.i am plain with my kids,I don't hide the TRUTH ,cos kids of these days it's just God.they mix with class mates and u are not there when they discuss.
my kids has asked me how are kids born I told her vaginal and C's,i told her about period,sex education,I tell them why marriage is scared and your body should be kept,how they can tell me anything, nothing is dirty for me to hear,I encourage them,I spank them lots when necessary,my kids are well co ordinated,I am not boasting cos I see display of kids outside.my kids wake-up and greet good morning ma and good morning sir which a 15 years find difficult To do.
We show them love Welland so they don't go looking for it else where.
There was a cartoon of lady bug,my girl brought it and told me they were kissing which I have told her it was wrong for young people,I was not there.she brought it her self
We gist,we have gone to cold stone and they saw a youngsters feeding themselves ice cream and my kid said daddy those people are playing love,I hope they are married.my dear it is training,discipline,friendship above all prayers.ur son simply got used to always having his way for anything whenever he asked shikena.
Train your kid well and be friends with them
Have a bond.
If my kids bring a birthday pack I give them if I feel like after 3 to four days when they must have forgotten,how many parents do that.onve the kids come the kids will be crying for it,rubbish!when u are not hungry.they know me they just keep it in the fridge.if after some days I forgot they seek permission.
Tell the truth,let them know u love them unconditionally hug them,show them love,love,love,allow them to be expressive no matter how tired u feel else when the bigger things come they will not tell u,have conversations with them.my dear when they grow the kids themselves will not want to disappoint you cos they know you are proud of them.they know Ur sacrifices .never make them less inferior,compare them or use insultive words.raise Ur kid right

I hear let wait for like ten years when your kid will be sixteen. You must complete this love, love story!

kid of two go to play store and download game

Toys for toddlers.

caleb404:
On the contrary Mobile/smartphones has greatly enhanced my son's learning.

He watches educational stuffs on them. Aided a lot in the recitation and pronunciation of alpha-numerics, and more importantly engages him.

There are pros and cons to everything. However, you have to realise the Nigeria of today is not easy as it was years ago when our parents raised us. Daddy's wages was probably enough to cater for the family. Now we all hustle, I have my business and my wife has hers. So there's hardly time to do some home-tutoring, apart from the basics of course.

This change of work and hustle scenario has already impeded the parental learning our kids should have derived from us.

Good enough there are loads of stuffs our kids can learn with smartphones. Just program it to only YouTube KIDS. And predownload the content you want your kids to see. After that disconnect from the internet. Such a way they won't be able to download unnecessary stuffs.

On another hand, whilst our mates as kids in developed countries were playing with computer, we were learning how to label all the parts of cockroaches and mosquitoes. Now while our mates can play with micro chips and softwares and all other tech stuffs, we're still in the analogue life.

Don't teach your kids the way your parents taught you. Life already passed that stage.

You nailed it! If you see the tech I saw Singapore kids making that day, you will know we are left behind.

De need to retrieve dis guys certification