To find this shocking or should I loosen my judgey-pants?

[bluebellewood]

Visiting my local Coffee shop today I saw a child aged about three sitting at a table with somesort of DVD/ notebook type thing placed about an inch from her face. The child was mezmerised by a leaping, googly eyed,luminous green, computer generated character. The whole time that I was in the cafe she did not take her eyes from the screen.

The parents were enjoying their coffee whilst totally ignoring their child.

What sort of parents think it is a good idea to prevent their child from interacting and engaging with the world around them. To sit glued to a screen even when not at home.

I was so shocked I could have cried for that little girl.

... slap

at pippi

What a fabulous idea! A whole half an hour peace where everybody has a lovely time.

OP you are uptight, unreasonable and probably not a parent if you can't value a few minutes peace and quiet. Are you one of those parenting cyborgs that spends every minute of their day Educating and Interacting with your child/ren for Their Development? Because if you are, really, life is too short!

BTW I care not a jot what was on the screen. It could have been Toy Story, Muzzie, Balamory or Scooby Doo for all I care. As long as the little girl was enjoying it.

Sounds like the op was waaaay too close to this child, if she could so clearly see the screen of an ipad an inch from her face

I would have felt a bit uncomfortable, had I been the child, being stared at by a mad stranger! She probably didn't dare look up

Siamo I talk to my children, yes I think you will find its fairly standard behaviour. Monstrosity - do you watch much computer generated material?

Val you ask what I would do, well I would make a donation to Medicin sans Frontiere.

Badger playing on your own is interacting with the world around you in my book. Sitting with your nose almost touching a computer screen for 30 minutes aged 2-3 years, without moving is not.

It was the level and duration of absorption shown by that small child in an electronic screen that disturbed me.

How's this then OP? I went to a wedding recently. Bride and groom have three kids, eldest is about 7. It was a registry office ceremony, ver functional. The 7 year old played with his Nintendo DS ALL THROUGH THE CEREMONY. It had the wrestled from him for the photos. These are educated professional people, by the way.

Compared to that, letting a kid play with an iPad in a cafe is nothing.

BTW I care not a jot what was on the screen. It could have been Toy Story, Muzzie, Balamory or Scooby Doo for all I care. As long as the little girl was enjoying it.

I think it was Debbie Does Dallas

Oh ffs, this is pathetic. I'm sure you would have judged me this morning if you'd seen me in the car outside preschool while DD amused herself playing Peppa Pig on my iPad (we were v early). The fact that she asked about 30,000 questions on the journey there, and on the way back and has had stories galore plus a trip out to the park and we've made cakes this afternoon is by the by.

Take the stick out of your arse fgs.

you don't have to talk to them every second of the live long day you know. Give them a rest from your nattering, let them watch some computer generated thing, might be good for them as well as the rest of us who are sick of listening to women who talk to babies too loudly all the time

WeeJimmy, "The 7 year old played with his Nintendo DS ALL THROUGH THE CEREMONY,"

Hardly worthy of comment if he was 7. My 7 year old could do that.

The child i saw WAS NOT PLAYING, etc etc AND WAS 3 years old

Nods I just Googled Debbie Does Dallas. Ooh you could have warned me! And that green character wasn't in it.

So it's ok for a 7yr old to watch a DVD/play game but not a 3yr old while her parents have a cup of coffee?

It was just half an hour... why can't a three year sit and watch a programme on an ipod for that amount of time without it being thought of as harmful/cruel etc? It was just one little half hour of peace and quiet in a day that was no doubt full of Why's? How's? and Can I have's?

"Val you ask what I would do, well I would make a donation to Medicin sans Frontiere."

Did I ask what you would do? I can't remember doing so!

A donation to Medicin sans Frontiere? Eh?

What's going on with the threads these days?
They are totally mad!

worra. Yes,
What do you think about that then?
Folds arms under bossom, leads on metaphorical garden wall and waits combatatively.

leans

Lots of weird threads on MN just lately

I think you've got far too much time on your hands

There is no difference between a 7yr old relaxing and watching a DVD for half an hour...and a 3yr old doing exactly the same thing.

For goodness sake, this is just an exercise in allowing yourself to feel superior.

Geez. Get a grip.

What is the age that they can stop being forced into inane conversation with their parents and be allowed to stare at computer or TV screens for that length of time then? Obviously somewhere between 3 and 7...

Just for future reference...

Val You posted "What the fuck do you do when you see child abuse/famine victims on the news then?"

So I politely answered you.

l

Ah! Apologies... I see what you mean now.

That question was so far back that I'd forgotten I'd asked it! :o

Can I ask another? This was asked somewhere upthread I think, it's all moving too fast for oldies like me...

What do you consider to be engaging and interacting with the world? What should the child have been doing, apart from talking/engaging with it's parents?

Looking around, playing with the sugar, picking her nose, asking for a cake, making random comments about things she sees around her.
Not just sitting, totally imobile, watching a screen, without expression or comment.

immobile