Confession: My Kid is Addicted to Electronics

Okay, okay, I know my previous post and this post may come off as a little hypocritical but what can I say? This is my life as a mama. Yes, we love the library and all of the amazing things that it has to offer but....electronics are to damn helpful! No, seriously! Who needs a babysitter when you have #Youtube, #Netflix or DisneyJr.com ? From a cellphone, to a tablet or iPad, to my Macbook, at 4 years old my son can navigate them all. And most times, he needs little to no help. Smart kid. Questionable mama.

I remember as an infant my teenage daughter would prop her cellphone up and stick #BabyShark or #Cocomelon in front of Kyaire's face while she watched her own shows on TV. Even back then he would be enthralled with the colors and the sounds for hours. Of course he was too young to really learn much of anything but a habit was definitely being formed. On many occasions he failed the #CocomelonChallange where you play the #Cocomelon introduction song and see if your baby wakes up or reacts. Kyaire would become alert EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Even still, I thought nothing of it. "Oh, he's just a baby. It won't stick!"or "He just likes the colors and the music, it's no big deal." These were the excuses I would make for the fact that my infant paid more attention to a cellphone screen than a talking toy that lit up and played the same music that the phone would. It was clear from early on that we had a problem.

Once he became a toddler we tried to limit his screen time to travel and bedtime but that was a disaster. Most times he wouldn't even look up to see where he was going while we were out and about and majority of the nights he'd stay up later than we did cracking up laughing at whatever he was watching. I cannot not tell you how many times I've waken up around 1am and found him fully awake in bed, in my pitch black room watching something without a care in the world. The problem with that is to this day, 9 times out of 10, he still needs to be watching something in order to fall asleep. And when he can't have his way someone should be right to fight... and lose.

So, you're probably wondering what the point of this post is. It's simple. I have to do better. As I reflect on my sons journey to where he is now when it comes to electronics I think about his brother. Raymond barely engaged with electronics until he was about 8 years old, and that includes TV. Until then he always loved to read and now he barely does. He used to be happy to tag along for family fun and now he hardly ever wants to leave his room. At 13 years old his life mostly revolves around his PC and his iPhone. Occasionally he will ride his bike but thats as far as it goes. I hate that for Kyaire. To be honest, I hate it for Raymond so with that being said. . .

I HAVE TO DO BETTER!