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Children playing video games on bus to day camp



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amother
Salmon


 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 10:20 am
Dear mothers whose children have portable screens (ipods, old phones, tablets, etc),
I know that we all have different rules for our kids for using their screens, but PLEASE do not send it with them to use on the bus to and from camp!! It's become an ongoing discussion with my son, he is constantly asking to take his screen (which he is allowed to use for a limited time at home) on the bus, because others do. I explained to him that every family has different rules, but it's a very big tease, & why would you want your child staring at a screen on the bus instead of talking to friends, or even looking out the window or dreaming? Itseems lije screens are taking over increasingly more aspects of our kids lives! At home, fine, if you think it's okay, they can use it without end, but please don't make things harder for the rest of us!
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animeme




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 11:06 am
Amother salmon, I hear you. But I have a question. What would you say to the mother who knows that camp x is best for her son, but it's half hour away by bus, and her ds refuses to do that bus ride and leave early and come home late, until amother tells him he can bring his screen for during that time? What about kids who don't have friends on the bus and aren't great at making them? For whom the screens actually gain them connection to real life friends? Or the kid who needs that game time for an outlet before he sits for davening and/or learning?

I hear this as a vent, knowing that in reality, we can't control an environment like a bus. We are all different, and our families and kids have different needs, and sometimes the needs of another family mess our own family up. Yes, that is frustrating.
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cm




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 11:19 am
They spend all day at camp interacting with peers.

The bus rides are awful. Kids are not on their best behavior on the bus, and the routes are often long.

I would be more concerned about the electronic devices being lost or damaged if taken to camp.
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amother
Smokey


 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 12:46 pm
My ds takes a book. I know, I know, it's not the same as a screen, but I also wish he would use that time to talk to his friends and socialize.
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The Happy Wife




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 1:05 pm
There's always going to be other parents who let their kids do things you don't. It's not fair to ask others to parent according to your rules so your kids won't be jealous. It's not easy, but that's just life.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 3:23 pm
The camp doesn't have rules about this?
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amother
Dodgerblue


 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 3:43 pm
It's not the job of other parents to make your job easier. Will you also demand that parents only send healthy snacks so your son doesn't get jealous? Different families have different rules, your son will have to get over it or you'll have to get more creative about how to peacefully keep the status quo. Bus rides can be very unpleasant. I used to play on my game boy on the school bus, so it's not like using devices on buses is all that new. My kids don't happen to ride the bus, but if they did, I would let them bring devices.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 5:09 pm
Dodgerblue, a kid can say no thank you to an offered noshkie.
I'm more concerned not about the kids becoming slugs on the bus - and make no mistake, I AM concerned about that - and what they might be watching and sharing.
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LittleDucky




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 5:37 pm
In some ways it might be better. Less kids getting into fights as heard about here on imamother. Fewer kids standing and/or hanging various limbs out the window.
Hmmm.... Confused
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 6:39 pm
LittleDucky wrote:
In some ways it might be better. Less kids getting into fights as heard about here on imamother. Fewer kids standing and/or hanging various limbs out the window.
Hmmm.... Confused


I have a great idea!
Kids should be given a fast-acting, short-term sedative as soon as they get on the bus!
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amother
Dodgerblue


 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 7:12 pm
PinkFridge wrote:
Dodgerblue, a kid can say no thank you to an offered noshkie.
I'm more concerned not about the kids becoming slugs on the bus - and make no mistake, I AM concerned about that - and what they might be watching and sharing.

Why is a kid more capable of saying no thank you to food than to a screen? And BTW, lots of kids DON'T say no thank you to junk food, they throw their baby carrots in the garbage and wolf down oreos as soon as they get the chance. You as the parent are responsible to transmit your values to your child, not demand that other parents follow your values so that you don't have to deal with too much whining when your kid encounters friends who are allowed to do something you don't allow. And op has clearly stated that her concern is that her child should talk to friends, not that he's learning things she doesn't like. There is no mention of a rule by the school/camp against screens on the bus, so that's not a problem either, not all Jewish schools care what happens off the premises. As for inappropriate things they might learn, lol, kids have been learning inappropriate things on school buses since school buses were invented. The worst of the worst behavior is can almost always be traced back to the school bus (one of the reasons my kids don't ride the bus). If anything, if everyone is busy playing angry birds or whatever it is they're playing these days, that means less socializing and learning bad words!
In any event, I don't think op is wrong to not let her son bring his tablet or whatever, that's reasonable. Her entire post is focused on what other parents are doing and demanding that we not make her job harder. Sorry, I have my own kids to parent, I'm not responsible for anyone else's kids.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 18 2016, 8:22 pm
Are we talking about tetris or iphones? Because I would be ok with screen-ie games in the world I grew up in, but nowadays letting anything like that on the schoolbus opens the door to all kinds of questionable content that I think is a much more serious concern than candy.
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