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Sort of. My kids love to play outside. They didn't have tablets and didn't use the computer. A great regret I have now is that during the pandemic we eventually

Sort of. My kids love to play outside. They didn't have tablets and didn't use the computer. A great regret I have now is that during the pandemic we eventually let them play with iPads and got them Minecraft on a donated xbox. We've had to limit their use considerably, but it's still an unfair competition. Learning, exploring, playing outside offers gratification in a different way. On Minecraft he turns it on and 20 seconds later they're in this wonderful magical world where he is some sort of superhero. Imagine if they also had twenty other games to choose from? I really regret letting the genie out of the box. Wish I had waited some years more. Now their time is quite limited, but they've felt how instantly gratifying it is, and are always asking for it, whereas before, they just asked to go swimming, or take a walk in the woods, or build legos, or a dozen other awesome activities. edit: just to add, they still do lots of outside stuff, but it's not like before.

senko 5y ago
Every kid is different and I try to never second-guess others' parenting style. Rules and limits are important and I agree the screen offers quicker gratification, so we as parents must set and enforce those rules. That said, this changes the subject a bit, as we were talking about learning to code. That's empathically not an instant gratification and we should not equate time spent in front of screen with time spent learning, expanding understanding of logic, cause and effect, structure, etc. And while kids are happy to spend hours gaming, I haven't seen many (in my social circle) that would be happy spending hours debugging some Python, Lua or Sketch code.
- EL_Loco 5y ago
  You're right, the example I gave is different from coding. I did change the subject a bit, sorry for that. By the way, my kids do some Micro:Bit programming whenever they want, and I chose not to force them into it, as in not having a structured 'learn block coding with dad' hour. If they want to do something with their Micro:Bit, they power up the computer and do it, for as long or little as they want. If they want my help, I'll help, and that's it.

senko 5y ago

Every kid is different and I try to never second-guess others' parenting style. Rules and limits are important and I agree the screen offers quicker gratification, so we as parents must set and enforce those rules. That said, this changes the subject a bit, as we were talking about learning to code. That's empathically not an instant gratification and we should not equate time spent in front of screen with time spent learning, expanding understanding of logic, cause and effect, structure, etc. And while kids are happy to spend hours gaming, I haven't seen many (in my social circle) that would be happy spending hours debugging some Python, Lua or Sketch code.

EL_Loco 5y ago
You're right, the example I gave is different from coding. I did change the subject a bit, sorry for that. By the way, my kids do some Micro:Bit programming whenever they want, and I chose not to force them into it, as in not having a structured 'learn block coding with dad' hour. If they want to do something with their Micro:Bit, they power up the computer and do it, for as long or little as they want. If they want my help, I'll help, and that's it.