do you think your kids spend too much time glued to their screens? i've long had my doubts, so i was happy to read this fresh perspective on one of the nytimes blogs. i think my doubts were for different reasons, but in light of the alarming stories i've read recently about something called free-range parenting (which we just call parenting here in denmark), this one rings true on some level. but to this swaddling in cotton (to directly translate a phrase from danish) that we as parents do to our kids today, i would add that giving them screen time prepares them for the workplaces of the future. the fact is, we are surrounded by technology today and if you aren't comfortable with it and it's not second nature to you, you will be left behind.
and that's why it's after 11 p.m. and i'm still sitting here with five screens glowing gently on my face (including the phone i used to take this photo). just trying to stay relevant.
kidding aside, i listened to a 2-part freakonomics podcast about sleep. they interviewed a researcher who was looking into sleep patterns. she recommended that you leave aside the glowy devices for a least a half an hour before bed if you wanted to have a good night's sleep. but she also admitted that she doesn't follow this advice herself. as she said, the iPad is very compelling. and i'll admit i'm horrible at this. i often read something (a book, the nytimes, facebook) on my iPad as a prelude to falling asleep. and i'm sure that it means that i don't sleep as well as i should. which, according to the podcast, probably means that i don't do anything else as well as i should.
maybe i need to put aside the glowy devices at bedtime...
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squee! there really is an x-files revival coming!
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