Raising Kids in This Age of Techology

Today I feel angry.  Today I am mad.  Today I am sad.  Today I am frustrated.  My oldest son is soon to be 9 years old, and the desires and wants he thinks he needs are beyond our means.  For the past year, I've tried to teach my kids that electronics will not bring total happiness, and that Mom and Dad are not made of money.  No, we don't just go out and buy what ever their hearts desire in that moment.  No, money doesn't magically replenish in our bank accounts.  No, we don't need to keep up with the Jones'.  And I thought our lesson was sinking in, and I thought that they were beginning to look beyond those wants, and I believe they were truly living out a childhood with imgaination and play that doesn't require a controller, or a "sleeper", or a boat to be loaded, or a cow to be milked.  Until Friday when I received a letter from the french teacher in school asking for parents to let their children bring in their devices in order to do a project on a specific app. The letter states that their devices would be stored during the school day and only used during french class.

My child has become a minority in school since Friday.  He says he's the only one who hasn't brought anything in.  That everyone else has a tablet or ipod and he has nothing.  Now this may be an exaggeration (I know it is, because I know of at least one other mom who says she doesn't have one).  What's worse is I've heard kids brag about how they got to play their device all day at school, during breaks and recess, again something that my son has pointed out to me as well.  Going against what the letter stated about devices stored away for the day.

My children are not totally deprived.  They do have an iphone that is used only for games (it's my old phone that once my husband got an upgrade, we had no more use for this one, and instead of selling it, we wiped it clean for them to play).  I may be a stick in the mud, but I'm not allowing him to take it to school,  I refuse to jump on this technology bandwagon.  I strongly believe my kids don't need these things to make their little worlds go round.  I'm not saying that those families who have the means to give their kids such wonderful things are spoiling and ruining their child, I'm not saying that. I just wish that those privileges would stay among home life and not cross over into school.

Rant done....