Recently I was at the INA’s 30th Annual Conference in Cancun, Mexico and had the privilege to meet Hope of Nanny Shecando. She traveled from Australia to join us there. It was so awesome having more Australians join us for the INA Conference! I enjoyed learning more about Hope and what she is offering nannies in Australian and abroad!
One of her articles she published is called: Why I’m Not A Fan Of The Electronic Babysitter She shares part of the following there
It seems that such is not the case for most children today, having drawn this conclusion from experiencing the pleasure of babysitting and nannying tons of kids of varying ages. They are all too reliant upon a routine of tv time and iPad time.Heaven forbid they should miss their window of opportunity on Minecraft before it closes!
I find this is to the detriment of other activities and opportunities to engage and learn. Children prefer to play a game on their iPad than join me outside in the garden to do hand stands and look for lady beetles. They are convinced that it’s not going to be as fun. It’s only after I physically pick them up and drop them out in the garden or the pool or onto the trampoline and immerse them in the fun that they realise their perspective was wrong.
Of course, this is not a new concept either. Children can be very strong in their convictions and will take every opportunity to stand their ground, often not wanting to budge on their standpoint even when they know they are wrong. I take full opportunity to challenge this and prove them wrong every time. Check mate!
But what do you do when kids are given parental approval to spend numerous hours in a row with these mind numbing electronic babysitters? What to do when we find ourselves blissfully on Summer school holidays and yet under house arrest indoors because children are so tired from school and extra curricular activities that they don’t want to go anywhere or do anything. Read: I’m lazy, I want to play games.
Whilst I’m aware that as the adult and the one in charge, I could just put my foot down and say ‘No, we’re going to do X, Y, Z today’ (and I do), I’m still left baffled that I must resort to these methods in the first place.
So jump on over to the blog and read the entire article and let us know your thoughts on the Electronic Babysitter, it seems that is is a worldwide problem and not just one in America to me.