About a month ago I got a text from my kid's Auntie "We got our kids iPads for Christmas. Would it be OK if we give Hudson one of the boys iPods for his birthday?"
I must admit I was not keen on this idea right away. Not that I was dead set against it either. It just felt like a big step. A milestone really for my nearly 9 year old to be entering into the world of personal tech gadgets.
Long story short we said yes, and Hudson received his present early since Auntie was visiting for the holidays.
I was not anticipating how entertaining and heart melting giving a kid the freedom of messaging would be.
Day 1 with the iPod has been full of messages... from across the living room. Some of the texts have been answers to my verbal questions. A couple of times Hudson has sent me a message and then hunted me down to tell me that there was a spelling mistake and what he actually intended to send. Way too cute right!?
There are of course boundaries that come with this freedom... and admittedly a few bribes... "You can have time with your iPod if you fold the laundry."
I am relieved to see that so far the canyon I thought I was leaping into with this new toy is not as deep as it seemed.
How about you? Do your kids have their own iPods? Any tips for me?
Well, I was quite nervous as well when Ben was getting a tablet for Christmas. But I am also loving his random texts telling me how great I am ;). And I think it is great for spelling/reading, and he can stay in contact with grandma :). I agree, limiting their freedom is key. I was also quite nervous about internet access, but he was quite fine with being told he was not allowed "online" googling stuff etc. And when the time comes to broaden his access (hopefully a long way down the line) I will need to re evaluate. I guess we can't keep them little forever, right? ;)
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