After long discussions with my wife i decided to cut the cord. no no no, not what you think. I took back my I Phone and took away the kids I Pads. I am now back to the old flip phone that has only text messaging. / No more smart phone for me or I Pad for the kids except for homework for at least 6 months and then i will re-evaluate. It was controlling their lives and changing their personalities. All they wanted to do was play on them and sit in the house and when i told them to put them away and go outside and play they would get very mad and aggressive. So last night, my nephew said "daddy, can i use your phone to play minecraft" i gave him my flip phone and said daddy does not have that phone anymore and you three are not using the I pads unless it is for homework, talk about an epic melt down. WOW Kids throwing themselves on the floor, telling me they hate me, they want a new daddy, slamming doors and kicking walls, it was the best yet, all caught on video and we will watch it in about a week to see which of the three gave the best performance! The winner will get to take 2 friends to the movie of his choice. It lasted for almost an hour and all the wife and SIL did was sit on the porch and sip a glass of chardonnay. leaving me to fend for my life. It was a decision made by all the adults in the house but once again they left me with the dirty work making themselves look like angels. Tonight i will get a Big Chocolate Chip cookie cake and some ice cream and have a No Electronics party!!! Sorry, but these devices are no good for kids and last night i had enough of that shit.
I agree and I'm glad you took my advice about taking something away because of bad behavior. It took you long enough. What the hell is wrong with wife and SIL? You're supposed to present a united front!! Why should you be the bad guy when you're not a single parent. They need to get with the program, too. If the kids learn that there's a reward for good behavior, say an hour on the weekend after homework, etc. is done, they may come around faster. That's the best I got, except when they act up like that grab a beer and sit and laugh at them. Show them it's not disturbing you but the tantrums make them look like babies. That's all I got except stand firm and don't give in! (I'd love to see that video. I'd probably lmao!)
Good for you BD. You are so right this Shit has to stop kids are being controlled by electronics. People wonder what's wrong with our country ...start by evaluating your involvement with your kids people!! And when you make a decision to make a change in their routines make sure to follow through. I am very proud of you it is not easy being a "prick" but you are doing the right thing!!
Just saw this thread, guess I'm not the only one. I've been called a Luddite by some, a Dinosaur by friends because of my flip phone. I pay $20 a month for unlimited calls / texting on a Grandfathered Verizon plan and have no desire to change. I just don't care about the latest / greatest gadget and my phone is perfect for me - it's military spec, has large buttons for my big hands (I'm not a fan of touch screens) and a loud speaker - ya know for the one ear I can still hear out of. When I went to replace my last Cell phone, the sales guy approached and says "What features are you looking for?" I said "Big buttons, durable and loud enough to hear who I'm talking to". He looked at me like I had two heads, then showed me the 4 flip phones they had out of the 27 models on the floor. My wife got a smart phone a little over a year ago, peer pressure. Our oldest son took her flip phone which he thought was so uncool, well it was that or nothing... (he was starting to drive and is now driving by himself, so of course I'd make sure he had a phone). He hasn't said anything since, he knows my philosophy on life and how I value things. It has changed my wife, she has that thing right at her side all the time. Sometimes, like when something has not gotten done that is typically her dept. (we split up household chores and duties according to each others strengths and preferences), I'll "remind" her and say playtime is over for now - X needs to get done. I do have to admit it's nice to look up a beer I don't know when we go out on the friggin thing though. I think it's a generational thing to a degree. I started noticing at concerts (like to hear live music when I feel like it), and at restaurants probably 10 years ago the majority of people (most younger than me, I'm 40... something) staring at their device. I would just think to myself - Hey Idjit, the band is playing on stage. Right in front of you. Why did you bother to pay for a ticket and come if you're just going to stare at a little screen all night? Don't get me started about people in Doctors offices and Movie theaters. Yes, I'm the guy that will kindly remind you to shut the Hell up as you yammer away under the NO CELL PHONES sign, or to find your mute button if your going to text away like a Woodpecker in the waiting room so I don't hear that cool bubble sound for every letter you push as I try to read my PAPER MAGAZINE. As Smart phones, texting and social media took over in the average American house, manners were going out the door unfortunately. Most kids can not even look you in the eye and speak anymore, much less carry on a conversation. Hold a door for a older or disabled person? Few and far between.
^^^^ Yep The final straw was when i got a text message from the oldest son's i pad from upstairs and i was sitting downstairs and it said "hey dad can i have some dessert" for the love of God, you mean to tell me you cannot walk downstairs and ask your father for dessert, you need to text me in the same house. I went to dinner last night with my wife and everybody in the restaurant had their phones out, nobody was talking to each other they were all on their smart phones. Probably texting each other across the table to each other. Unbelievable!!! Well we watched the video of the epic meltdown last night of the three boys and it was determined that the middle one, aged 8 won the prize for best actor. Knocking over a chair, throwing Oreo cookies and kicking a soccer ball into lamp all the while screaming "Your Mean, I Hate You and I want a new daddy" was just the icing on the cake. The Youngest (my nephew) had his moments but he pretty much stayed on the floor once he threw himself down just kicking and turning, but he managed to keep his Oreo cookies from getting crushed and actually ate them. So we are on week one and so far so good, they seem happier and are actually back to playing basketball and soccer outside and back to building legos and i even taught them how to play back gammon this week. life is good