Where can a kid be a kid?

(Originally Posted 11/30/2007)

I didn't pay much attention when my son's playmate was getting an iPod for his sixth birthday. I laughed it off as silly parents, or, what I like to call money fatigue - that is when people are so bored with their money that they just decide to flush it down the toilet for fun. That was yesterday. Today, I read an article in the New York Times,
“For Toddlers, Toy of Choice is Tech Device” which informed me, oh women of dated toys that preschoolers and Kindergartners no longer play with toys. These young hands hold real cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, and yes iPods.

I don’t disregard the importance of technology and its usefulness for working adults, but, what possible reason could a child have for using (forget needing) an iPod or a cell phone? I am feeling a little slow here, so maybe you can comment and answer this for me, but, how do six year olds keep up with the latest bands? Can they even read reviews of who is hot and who is not? Should they download the live or recorded version of that great Men at Work song? Do they have a credit card with which to buy the songs from iTunes? And, this is a really dumb question, but here goes? When do they listen to the iPod? On their run?

Didn’t the tagline of Toys R Us used to be, “where a kid can be a kid?” All I’m saying is that technology should not replace the good old days of being a kid. Why are parents in such a hurry for their babies to be grown up? There will be plenty of time to ignore cell phone calls, answer emails, and download music when it matters. Warning: Here comes more dumb questions. Why can’t children play with their friends in person and use the home phone to arrange the playtime? Can’t children just sing along in the car with their parents? Sit and read a book, draw, do word finding puzzles. Can children make up pretend games of teacher, doctor, or store? These are some of the prized, though boring games of late that kept us going for hours when I was in grade school.

I’m just worried that learning to sit in front of a screen as entertainment and social interaction when one is 4 will make for a very socially awkward, uninteresting, and self-absorbed adult and therefore society. I mean if everyone is plugged in, how can we be reaching out and truly connecting? And, children posturing as adults while they think and behave like children can only grow up to be adults with the mind of a child. And, don’t we already have enough of this already?