What grinds my gears...

[Izzy]

25 minutes ago, Beliall said:

leave the tablets at home mate. we're in the same boat, they all have gadgets,, but they have never been allowed to take them outside. 

You’re right but I’m not sure I’d even get the little fvckers out the door if I told them they had to leave thier gadgets at home 

[Jattdogg]

5 minutes ago, Izzy Muzzett said:

You’re right but I’m not sure I’d even get the little fvckers out the door if I told them they had to leave thier gadgets at home 

Drop that ballsack down from your stomach izzy and lay down the law!

 

My kids are much younger but do have limited access to tv or the ipad. They are not allowed to sit on it for hours on end etc. We control when they can have it if they been good. The ipad never leaves the house.  If they act out if line the ipad is hidden and a slapping will occur (if required) lol.

 

 

Edited 8 November 2018 by Jattdogg

[Footballwipe]

1 hour ago, Izzy Muzzett said:

I am that parent, sadly 

 

The wife and I find ourselves constantly in competition against the kids devices for their attention these days. It's completely our (my) fault as we've let them persuade us to have these gadgets because their friends have them, and we don't want them to be the ones without and therefore picked on. It's a terrible case of succumbing to peer pressure if I'm honest.

 

Gadgets at home can be a good thing sometimes as they do entertain the kids and allow us to get on with stuff, but the problem is when we're all out together as you've mentioned above. I'm not sure we'd let them have headphones in while eating though - that's taking it too far IMO but it is difficult to stop them looking/playing on their devices when we're sat down eating.

 

We took the kids to a bonfire night display last week and I watched as my 12 year old daughter walked over to three friends and within 30 seconds they were all stood in a line looking at their phones and not talking to each other for about 5 minutes. 

 

It's even worse when we take the kids to grandparents as they just sit there like zombies glued to a screen when the poor grandparents are desperate to engage in some sort of conversation with them.

 

I don't know what the answer is and it feels like a cop out to say "that's just the way it is these days" but it seems like that's just the way it is these days 

 

If we took the devices off them and made them talk to us instead it would just cause more problems as they'd rebel and be awkward. It's lazy parenting and I'm totally guilty, so if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears..

Genuinely, thanks for that and the honesty. It's obviously my opinion and all me and my wife can do is sit and judge! We even do to our 8-yr-old nephew who is similar, though thankfully he seems to have found toys recently.

 

I guess if it works for one it might not work for the other, and the problem is worse the older they get. FOMO probably runs high with youngsters these days. You're right about the grandparents, though. How on earth can they compete against gadgets? In a really selfish way it's okay for me as if I'm in a restaurant they're quiet! I have this different wave of feeling when I see it, anger at the parents for letting it happen, but then pity for the parents because they've probably been left with no choice.

 

I mean, for every young person I see doing that you see couples, young and old, doing exactly the same; out for a meal and buried in their phones (whilst probably Instagramming how happy their perfect meal out is!)

 

 

[gw_leics772]

1 hour ago, Footballwipe said:

Genuinely, thanks for that and the honesty. It's obviously my opinion and all me and my wife can do is sit and judge! We even do to our 8-yr-old nephew who is similar, though thankfully he seems to have found toys recently.

 

I guess if it works for one it might not work for the other, and the problem is worse the older they get. FOMO probably runs high with youngsters these days. You're right about the grandparents, though. How on earth can they compete against gadgets? In a really selfish way it's okay for me as if I'm in a restaurant they're quiet! I have this different wave of feeling when I see it, anger at the parents for letting it happen, but then pity for the parents because they've probably been left with no choice.

 

I mean, for every young person I see doing that you see couples, young and old, doing exactly the same; out for a meal and buried in their phones (whilst probably Instagramming how happy their perfect meal out is!)

 

 

Im in between the original reply and as far as izzys comment but agree with the condemnation as well.

 

For my part, we try the first step, we really do, then the little ****ers piss about and embarass us so we give them the gadgets so at least we parents can enjoy it, and the kids seem "happy" too.

 

Seems preferable to beating the shit out of them in a packed restaurant.

[Jattdogg]

1 hour ago, Footballwipe said:

Genuinely, thanks for that and the honesty. It's obviously my opinion and all me and my wife can do is sit and judge! We even do to our 8-yr-old nephew who is similar, though thankfully he seems to have found toys recently.

 

I guess if it works for one it might not work for the other, and the problem is worse the older they get. FOMO probably runs high with youngsters these days. You're right about the grandparents, though. How on earth can they compete against gadgets? In a really selfish way it's okay for me as if I'm in a restaurant they're quiet! I have this different wave of feeling when I see it, anger at the parents for letting it happen, but then pity for the parents because they've probably been left with no choice.

 

I mean, for every young person I see doing that you see couples, young and old, doing exactly the same; out for a meal and buried in their phones (whilst probably Instagramming how happy their perfect meal out is!)

 

 

My only pet peeve (no pun intended)  is when people with no kids but have a dog try to relate to me and how tough life can be with kids. Sorry just not the same thing at all mate lol. Take my kids and i will take your dog. Of course both are work (that goes without saying) but guarantee  you'd be thankful to have that dog after 4 hours with my kids.

[SystonFox]

2 hours ago, Izzy Muzzett said:

I am that parent, sadly 

 

The wife and I find ourselves constantly in competition against the kids devices for their attention these days. It's completely our (my) fault as we've let them persuade us to have these gadgets because their friends have them, and we don't want them to be the ones without and therefore picked on. It's a terrible case of succumbing to peer pressure if I'm honest.

 

Gadgets at home can be a good thing sometimes as they do entertain the kids and allow us to get on with stuff, but the problem is when we're all out together as you've mentioned above. I'm not sure we'd let them have headphones in while eating though - that's taking it too far IMO but it is difficult to stop them looking/playing on their devices when we're sat down eating.

 

We took the kids to a bonfire night display last week and I watched as my 12 year old daughter walked over to three friends and within 30 seconds they were all stood in a line looking at their phones and not talking to each other for about 5 minutes. 

 

It's even worse when we take the kids to grandparents as they just sit there like zombies glued to a screen when the poor grandparents are desperate to engage in some sort of conversation with them.

 

I don't know what the answer is and it feels like a cop out to say "that's just the way it is these days" but it seems like that's just the way it is these days 

 

If we took the devices off them and made them talk to us instead it would just cause more problems as they'd rebel and be awkward. It's lazy parenting and I'm totally guilty, so if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears..

My son is 3 and a half years old and he has a passion for watching YouTube through my smart tv. every morning when he wakes up "Daddy can i watch youtube please" and then before bed "Daddy can i watch youtube please". We only allow him small time watching this as he could be glued for hours watching Peppa Pig (which is a nightmare tv show by the way!)

 

on the rare occasion he handles my (unlocked) phone or ipad he knows exactly how to access youtube and always stumbles upon peppa pig. we really try and limit this though or only use it in absolute times of desperation aka the four month old is horrific! 

 

it will only get worse for me with time i imagine but as someone stated if you leave the tablets at home then surely that will be a help.

[lcfcsnow]

1 hour ago, Footballwipe said:

Genuinely, thanks for that and the honesty. It's obviously my opinion and all me and my wife can do is sit and judge! We even do to our 8-yr-old nephew who is similar, though thankfully he seems to have found toys recently.

 

Any toy suggestions? My 7 year old is increasingly reliant on consoles, I don't have him full time so I'm becoming the bad guy when I don't let him on as much as he's used to. 

[Footballwipe]

4 minutes ago, lcfcsnow said:

Any toy suggestions? My 7 year old is increasingly reliant on consoles, I don't have him full time so I'm becoming the bad guy when I don't let him on as much as he's used to. 

He got very much into lego I believe, creating those action/film scenarios, though I appreciate that's not a cheap toy! He was well into Minecraft too. My wife always buys him books when it's his birthday because it used to drive us mad when he'd be round for a family gathering. They'd let him sit on his tablet and then hijack our television so he could watch whatever he wanted. Genuinely don't know how parents do it, you guys have it so tough in the modern day.

[Guest Electric Yetis]

My kids want the tablets all the time. They aren't allowed to take them out of the house, although thankfully they haven't asked yet. I regularly leave them on to drain the battery and hide the chargers to stop them moaning for them ?. 

[lcfcsnow]

23 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

He got very much into lego I believe, creating those action/film scenarios, though I appreciate that's not a cheap toy! He was well into Minecraft too.

I’ve got a decent amount of Lego and tried a few of the minecraft sets, problem is once it’s made it never sees the light of day again and just seems like a waste.

[lcfcsnow]

Just to add I completely agree with your original post @Footballwipe my son when he’s not with me had devices in the car, devices at meals, devices at in his room and goes on them for many hours a day. Then when I have him, he doesn’t. He gets to go on them at home for an amount of time and then have a break assuming he’s been good. It’s working for now and he understands but I’m not sure how long I can get away with this for when his life is so different when he goes back. 

[Strokes]

2 hours ago, lcfcsnow said:

Any toy suggestions? My 7 year old is increasingly reliant on consoles, I don't have him full time so I'm becoming the bad guy when I don't let him on as much as he's used to. 

Get him a motocross bike, it’ll be the best thing you ever do with them. It’s not cheap though. 

[Finnegan]

Twitter shits it's pants when Scarlett Johansson is cast as a gay character but nobody gives a **** that Netflix cast a septic to play one of the biggest figures in Scottish history. 

 

Bit hypocritical ain't it? 

 

Surely there's a decent jock they could have cast. 

[urban.spaceman]

13 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Twitter shits it's pants when Scarlett Johansson is cast as a gay character but nobody gives a **** that Netflix cast a septic to play one of the biggest figures in Scottish history. 

 

Bit hypocritical ain't it? 

 

Surely there's a decent jock they could have cast. 

The Scots Nationalists won’t care, as long as it’s not an Englishman. 

[Finnegan]

3 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

The Scots Nationalists won’t care, as long as it’s not an Englishman. 

 

Black Douglas is played by an Englishman. 

[Vince Vega]

On 08/11/2018 at 10:08, Beliall said:

leave the tablets at home mate. we're in the same boat, they all have gadgets,, but they have never been allowed to take them outside. 

From my experience, as with most things, it's all about getting the right balance, with gadget/device/tv time limited in favour of other activities.  Having 2 children and 2 step-children, meal times (at home or dining out) were also a 'no' in terms of gadgets and after a short while they all got used to it.  So much so that even now, with all now in their 20's and no longer at home, we still have a 'phones in the bowl' rule when we sit down for family meals at Xmas, Easter, birthdays etc. - usually instigated by one of the kids!

[urban.spaceman]

11 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

Black Douglas is played by an Englishman. 

Even worse he’s played by a privileged white male Englishman.

[Buce]

On 08/11/2018 at 10:36, Izzy Muzzett said:

You’re right but I’m not sure I’d even get the little fvckers out the door if I told them they had to leave thier gadgets at home 

 

Are they iPads?

 

The latest IOS upgrade installed some pretty kickass parental control software. I have always restricted my daughter's gadget time but now it's so much easier. You can set it so that usage is restricted, you can allow/disallow by individual apps, and you can link it to your phone so you can monitor exactly which apps have been used and when.

I suggest you discuss as a family what is reasonable usage and then set it up (tip: treat it like buying a car - bid low so they think they've won when they talk you into more). Also make it clear that if they kick off about it, they will face further sanctions by having their time limited even further. Carrot and stick, though - reward good behaviour (good grades/ helping around the house/ doing homework without moaning etc) with extra time.

 

It isn't easy being a parent, bro, and sometimes you have to make tough decisions to protect them from themselves.

[Finnegan]

17 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

Even worse he’s played by a privileged white male Englishman.

 

Um, yeah, because there were lots of black disabled lesbians amongst the Scottish nobility of the time. 

 

I get you're trying to make a point but it's a tad dumb. 

[Carl the Llama]

Getting to my car on a wet, windy night after a long day and finding a flat tyre. I have an emergency one but screw changing it in this weather. Ughhhh.

[ajthefox]

It's interesting hearing parents talk about the use of tablets and technology and limiting kids.

 

Some very genuine worries and some good advice above no doubt, but plenty of adults (in my experience) can't control their own gadget use nevermind manage that of a child who doesn't understand the impact that phones, tablets etc etc are having on the way we communicate with each other. 

Edited 10 November 2018 by ajthefox

[leicsmac]

The Iceland Xmas advert being banned.

 

Yeah, let's turn a blind eye to what humans often do to their environment. (Unless someone is playing a blinder by using the Streisand Effect here.)

[Stadt]

3 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

The Iceland Xmas advert being banned.

 

Yeah, let's turn a blind eye to what humans often do to their environment. (Unless someone is playing a blinder by using the Streisand Effect here.)

It’s because it was originally produced by greenpeace and they’re classified as political and political adverts are banned in the UK. Obviously they knew that though and like you said is definitely an example of the Streisand effect 

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Stadt said:

It’s because it was originally produced by greenpeace and they’re classified as political and political adverts are banned in the UK. Obviously they knew that though and like you said is definitely an example of the Streisand effect 

Ah, thank you for that little bit of extra info. Makes much more sense now.

 

If that's the case then yes, I totally agree that's what Iceland are going for here.

[Voll Blau]

The phrase "cool, calm and collected". Buy a thesaurus.