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Saturday, April 27, 2013

fifth graders and their smartphones.


I give tours at the natural history museum on my college’s campus.  Usually these tours consist of field trip groups from elementary schools.  I had two such tours thursday – a group of first graders and a group of fifth graders.  The first grade kids were excited to be there.  They had questions, they participated.

The fifth graders did not.  And most of them (yes, most of them!) had out their smartphones the entire time.  I feel like there's a correlation.  But maybe fifth graders are to the point where they think field trips like this are lame.  I don't know.

I don’t like smartphones.  And it drives me crazy when I see little kids who have them.

I know I’m not a mom, or even close, but I can tell you this: my kids aren’t going to have tv.  Movies will be plenty.  My kids aren’t going to have iPods or smartphones when they’re eight years old, just because that’s what they asked for for Christmas.  I think that’s absolutely ridiculous.  I didn’t even have a phone until my senior year of high school, and I think that’s just fine.  There is no reason for a kid to have a phone unless they’re driving, out and about, and need a way to contact their parents.  Even then it shouldn’t be a smartphone.  A dumb one will do.

I have little cousins, and they are plugged into their electronics all the time.  It makes me super sad to see a five year old who throws a tantrum over not being able to use his dad’s iPad to play angry birds whenever he wants, instead of finding something better to do.  It’s hard to talk to a kid when he totes an iPad everywhere he goes – including dinner – so he can watch Netflix.  It bothers me that even little kids think they need to carry the internet around in their pockets all the time.  I don’t even want to do that.  I’ll stick to my dumb phone, thanks.  (though, husband went in to upgrade his phone and was told that soon, dumb phones won’t even be an option.  So that stinks.)

How about we all just go outside, read a book, or, heaven forbid, talk to each other instead?

the end.

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