Smart Phones & Tablets: I Have An EVIL Plan!

Date:  Jan 10, 2013

Parents:  We have a very serious situations to deal with!  

Yes.  All the kids will sit there quietly and play the games on the iPad or iPhone or any kind of portable devices.  But think carefully, what are the impacts?  The impacts not only to him or her, but to the people surrounding him or her.  

Shouldn't they be playing outside?  Shouldn't they be chasing each others?  Instead of staring at the smart phones and tablets.

I would like to share few recent thoughts I had.

1.  In a gathering, all it needs is one single iPhone or iPad to make the kids quiet, and surround or circling that only iPhone or iPad.  If there is no iPhone or iPad, the kids will be talking and talking and running, and playing.  Some kids will start to ask their daddy or mommy for iPad or iPhone.  So, once you give it, the rest will ask their father and mother for it.

2.  If you have more than 1 or 2 iPhones or iPads.  Groups will be formed.  And all eyes will be staring at the games.  But the kids are not talking too much.  All are watching the screens.  

3.  In one of the recent gathering.  Few boys were looking at one single iPhone.  Then, the iPhone battery went dead.  So, the boy said to his daddy: "iPhone no more battery!".  The next thing you see, these few boys start running around, playing at the pond, and one boy even accidentally drop into the pond.  Laughters and cries.  And the fun running. This is what we want to see our kids grow up with.  Because no more iPhone.  So, they played.  And I look at them how they happily chase each other, that is childhood!

4.  I have 2x iPhones and 3x iPads at home.  But my kids can hardly play them, because we don't allow it.  When we go out and gathering, I can see the "sadness" in my son's eye.  Jay keeps asking me: "PaPa, I have nothing to do.", his eye keeps looking at his friends who is playing iPhone or iPad.  "PaPa, what can I do now?"  I know Jay wanted to ask me for my iPhone, but he knows the rules well!  So, he gave me the sad look.  It is a heart breaking sad look.  But a rule is still a rule.  But at the same, time, you also don't like to see that sad face.   So how?

HaHaHa… So, after some thoughts.  I finally come up with an evil plan.

I WILL GIVE MY SON MY IPAD MINI!

haha… yes, I meant it.  But I will delete slowly the games.  No more Angry Birds, no more Temple Run.  No more arcade games.  Instead… I will keep… the following...

As you can see, are phonics learning apps, spelling apps, math apps, arts, knowledges, flash cards...

So, if my son come and tell me, "Daddy, I have nothing to do…"

I shall give him this "special customised" iPad Mini.  

Jay will ask: "Where is Angry Bird?"

I will reply "Oh, I have no more angry bird.  Can you play other GAMES?"

Jay will ask again: "Why no games?"  (thinking Angry bird, temple run, etc those arcade games).

I will reply "No, there are lots of games in there… who say don't have?"

So, the point is… you can be the odd one out where all parents giving their kids iPad or iPhone, while you son is odd one out, no iPad and no iPhone.  This will makes them sad.  This will also makes them angry some times.  So, in order to fix that… just give the iPad mini.

So, if Jay come back and says "Those are not games…"

I will reply him "Do you want iPad or iPhone or not?"

He will sure reply YES.  But he will get to launch his EDUCATION games, and learn while playing.  This is far more better than playing angry birds, or shooting games, or race car hames.  

Do you think my plan is EVIL??

I really hope that this will help the kids to grow.  Gain knowledge while playing.