Nintendo DS spinoff--

So, this may be just my opinion...and it really is JUST my opinion. But there is a reason I am in no rush to buy Bella a DS.

DH and I go out to dinner with and without Bella and we are stunned at seeing so many families that consist of parents chatting and then a child or children that have their faces buried in a DS or similar game device at the table the entire time. Barely looking up to eat. I don't want the DS to be "the babysitter" or "roadblock" to communication.

Don't get me wrong, when I go out with Bella, I am armed with coloring books and various other "distractions". I just think what I am seeing is different. I was at a Christening a few weeks ago and they had a kiddie table that had 5 kids all playing a DS and then Bella, who just sat there coloring for a bit. There was no interaction between the children. I am all about no screaming children, but I am just not quite sure about it.

I like our kiddie conversations with Bella when we go out. Maybe I would feel different if she was a devil child

Re: Nintendo DS spinoff--

Whenever I see kids playing with a DS, I see a crowd of other kids around them, interacting with the player and each other. Many times, I think the DS has the potential to increase interaction. I've also seen many shy kids approach another kid who is playing with a DS. If that other kid was coloring, the shy child would never approach them.

It's a balancing game. There are lots of pros and cons to it.

One reason I'm getting one for DS (he doesn't know it, and hasn't asked for it), is because he's missing out on an entire social topic that many of his friends are talking about. I'm not trying to "keep up with the Joneses", but I also don't want him to feel left out when everyone else is talking about DS related stuff, and he can't join in.

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I hear you. I was reluctant to buy my DS a DS until last year. We don't own a game system for the TV either. I love to interact with them or see them be creative. Believe me, dinners at home or out do not go perfectly (not by a long shot!! sometimes I feel tag teamed and all I am saying is "move that cup" "use your fork" "stop playing with that" etc etc) but if I'm going out to dinner with my kids, I like to converse, play 20 questions, Name this, etc. However I live in a very kid centered house, I have no choice LOL. I have friends who don't so a dinner out might be a child going with adults and if they want to have adult convo (not inappropriate but not all kid-based) I can understand bringing the DS so the child is not bored.

Your DD can have a DS and it doesn't have to be a babysitter. You just have to set the rules with it. My kids don't even play with them in the car. My oldest gets carsick if does anyway but they listen to audio books instead so we have specific places and times they can play with it.

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I am not judging at all...and I welcome the different opinions.

GoldenRod--I never thought of it as an encouragement of interaction. That's an interesting point of view.

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my 9 yr old begged for the DSi so last year we bought her one for her birthday.......she rarely plays it at home,NEVER brings it out to dinner,she basically likes it for the car ride to soccer
If you buy your DD a DS and you dont want to have her playing it at a restaurant then tell her the DS stays home!

just wanted to add that they have a great crossword game.....I like to play it at the Dr and dentist in the waiting room

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Posted by MamaNDaddyof3

just wanted to add that they have a great crossword game.....I like to play it at the Dr and dentist in the waiting room

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If that is your opinion, then it is my opinion too.

My girls both have Leapsters (and I wasn't thrilled with my 2.5 year old getting it at the time...), but they are only allowed to use it at home or on very long car rides...like 1.5 hours plus. Then again, we also do not own a portable DVD player and we NEVER watch TV during dinner, etc.

I am not concerned with how others choose to use these devices, but for my family, it is a topic I feel very strongly about. I looked over at a table at a restaurant the other day and there were the three teenaged daughters texting away the entire time. My 17 year old "cousin" does the same at family events...uh, like Thanksgiving. On a vacation with three other couples/children this summer, every other kid had their DS and were not communicating with anyone else except the game. For my children, I find that unacceptable and I guess I feel that by allowing them to use such electronic distractions, that's the path I'd be setting them down. I'm worried about their attention spans in the long-run, etc. etc.

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about; maybe you'll see me and my family at a restaurant 10 years from now and you'll say, "Isn't that "Eireann" and her girls...oh look...all of them texting." Maybe it's the way of the world now. I don't know...it's just how I feel at this moment...

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Josh is going to be so out of the loop.

His friends have DSs...We meet them at the park. 3 boys sitting on the playground steps playing them. Josh goes up to them and says "hey why did you bring your TV remotes with you?"

everyone laughed...I laughed.

He is going to be 4. So I don't know what the future holds, but he won't be getting one this year...we also do not have a game system in the house.
I feel like once we get that, reading will stop. Building his trains will stop.

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DD (4.5 yrs old) has a leapster. she isnt allowed to bring it in the caror out to dinner etc. I have set rules of when she can play with it. It has some very educational games so I dont mind her playing with it..at thw right times. Im holding off awhile for a DS though. I just dont see the need.

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I think you just need to set ground rules.

We allow them to play on the computer and/or game systems for a set amount of time each day. That's it. They don't play at the dinner table. They don't play during homework time or chores or reading time.
They do play on long car rides - it helps the time go quicker for them and me. They also have a lot of different types of 'learning' games.

If I tell them game off.. the game goes off. End of story.

And honestly - as much as Robbie likes the DS, he has gone long periods of time without touching it at all.

I don't mind it at all. It's a game, the kids enjoy it and it keeps them occupied.

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If you buy it, you set the rules. You don't buy it for them and turn them loose with it willy-nilly. If you don't want it at restaurant, they aren't allowed to bring it there. Same goes for dinner table, park, beach, car, whatever.

You are the parent, so you set the ground rules.

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We have rules for the DS. Basically, it can only be used for a limited amount of time each day. My son always has to ask permission first. It's more of a reward for good behavior than a "shut my kid up" type of deal.

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just because a child is playing a game or using some electronics the one time you see them doesn't mean that is the norm for the family.

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I have no "screen time" rules, but yet my kids watch very little TV (pretty much just in the early AM and right before bed) and play video games here and there. I let them choose what to play and when to do it because they make good choices. If they didn't we'd have to lay down the law.
My point is, just because kids are given free reign with electronics doesn't mean you'll never see them do anything else. My oldest (nearly 7) has a DSi and a DVD player in his room and chooses to read for 30 minutes to an hour evey night before bed.

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We bought our son a ds and yes on occasion he has played it in a restaurant. Sometimes we just need some adult conversation without paying a babysitter. But that is rare maybe once or twice per year. Really he only plays it on long car rides (like to Florida or at affair where he needs to be quiet and there is nothing else to do (like a shiva). My son really only plays it about 3x per month, but we are all happy he has it.

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My kids ONLY play their DS in their rooms when they wake up in the morning OR when one of them (or the other) has a sport game or practice and the other is sitting there watching. tHAT'S it! NEVER at a restaurant, dinner, EVER!

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I might as well live in another Country because Alex has never asked for one - truth is, I don't even think she knows what it is, and I've never, ever seen any of her friends with one.

Now, I do let her use my iphone sometimes while we are waiting for the food to come at a restaurant if she's particularly ancy, but she knows that it leaves her hands the moment the food arrives.

Hopefully I won't even have to think about whether or not to buy a DS for quite some time!

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My DS ( 5) doesn't know what a DS is

He has a leapster, but plays with it SO infrequently , he's a very active boy and sometimes I actually have to tell him
" Why don't you go play your Leapster for a little while "

I have no problem with any electronic games as long as they are used within reason ( MY nephew, now 12 is addicted...Very sad as he doesn't have many "real" friends because he is SO involved in his "games" ) It will not take the place of good old fashioned playing in my house -that I can promise

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Erin, I completely agree with you! I do not allow electronic distratctions at the dinner table at home or out. That is a time to talk with each other and interact. My kids don't even have a portable DVD player for the car and they sing and talk and look at books on long car rides. I am a total throwback to the 70's where my kids play using their imagination. Kerri has an extremely active imagination and I love it!

Oh and the texting thing....I swear teenagers don't know what to do with themselves without texting. I was at a wake last night and a few teenagers were there and they were sitting in the chairs texting! Is there ever not a time and place for that! I was appalled!