By Sarita Rao
The top of my eight-year-old’s Christmas list was a Kindle Fire.
Dad’s got one. Most of her class HAS one. If I get her one, will I be opening a Pandora’s box or a box of wonder and learning?
As a child, I hated reading. My mother had to use all the Manner of bribery and threats to get me to open a book. My daughter is different. She willingly reads at least five books a week, more over the holidays.
Apart from the astronomical costs of buying all of this reading matter, I am wracked with guilt That we are the cause of major deforestation. Surely an e-reader would be more environmentally friendly, not to mention cheaper.
As an experiment, we let her try-out dad’s Kindle. Nighttime reading was a hit, but infinitely more Time Has been spent poking the screen playing Panda Pop – we’ve definitely downloaded more games than books.
Parents do not know
Online advice is random and far from helpful. “Wait Until they’re 14,” says one article That bemoans the loss of childhood and teenagers glued to Their smartphones. It Suggests In the teach her quilting. I do not even know what That is.
“Kids can benefit from the tablet time from the age of 2 years,” says an iPad fanatic. So nothing wrong with learning the theory of relativity When on the potty then?
My gadget-savvy dad friend tells me I’m not moving with the times. Technology frees a child’s mind. His Minecraft-mad daughter Regularly builds an entire city over a weekend. My daughter draws monsters on pieces of paper and cuts them out. she will not get a job doing this.
Am I a techie Luddite? (Well, I’m writing this column on a 10-year-old Windows Vista PC.)
>
Anyway, what would my daughter want with quad-core processor, flash memory and a Li-polymer battery? we both still firmly believe a Kit Kat is something you eat.
But you can not escape the fact That a tablet is mobile and HAS Infinite Possibilities education besides online books. That it weighs Practically nothing is Also a big bonus.
Not so long ago at an airport check-in, I had to choose between the essential toiletries and my daughter’s box set of “Mr. Gum” . You can guess Which family smelt bad That weekend.
It’s a “yes” vote
So, in principle I am saying “yes” because the educational benefits are clear, and she’ll Acquire the tech know-how, she’ll need for the future, When robots will do everything.
I’ve Never Said, “Put Down That book and come watch TV, “but I can imagine I’ll have to set time limits on the Kindle if I want her to be part of the 3D world of family.
Then there’s the Question of where I let her use it-in the car, on the bus, at a friend’s house? Should she use it in a box, with a fox, wearing socks, eating Green Eggs and Ham?
Just as I’ve reasoned through all the potential pitfalls, the Kindle debate comes to an abrupt end. My daughter has changed her mind-in the whimsical way of children.
Why would she want an e-reader for Christmas When there is Roboraptor?
I can ‘ t think of anything good about a 120-euro robotic dinosaur, unless as well as roaring around the living room it can overpriced cook dinner, teach maths and recite Shakespeare.
Having just convinced myself of All the Benefits of a Kindle, I will not let a prehistoric oxymoron change my mind.
I sense another mother-daughter talk in the offing. This time I’ll be the one arguing the case for a Kindle. Who’d have thought?
Read Sarita Rao’s other articles in her column: The L Word
Do not miss the news – sign up to receive the wort.lu newsletter in English delivered to your inbox, six days a week.
No comments:
Post a Comment