Sunday, 19 July 2009

The iPhone Dilemma

I've got a 25-minute blogging window. Husband is in the cellar playing ice hockey on the Xbox. (The cellar has been properly converted into a playroom, it's not like some dark dungeon that I banish him to to do his gaming!) Son #1 is with his dad playing on the Guitar Hero drumkit and talking his dad's ears off. Son #2 is asleep. (He's what the Baby Whisperer would call an 'Angel baby'.) So I have a little bit of bloggin time before I have to drag my boys to church.

So, I have a dilemma. As I mentioned at the end of my previous post, my son (age 3) likes to play on my iPhone. I've downloaded a few apps that are aimed at toddlers and he loves them. Some of them are quite educational too. But now he's progressed onto my other apps. Pocket God. Tiger Woods Golf. Cooking Mama. Koi Pond. He loves them all. I've also got a few movies on my phone for him. But now I'm wondering if we should just buy him his own iPod Touch. His dad thinks we should but I'm worried that we'll look like bad parents. He's 3, for God's sake! It would solve a lot of problems but part of my jsut balks at the idea of my child having such a major piece of technology at such a young age. I can hear parents saying, "What's wrong with playing I Spy." "Why doesn't she just give him some good old-fashioned paper and a pen and let him go wild with his creative genius?" "How sad it is that that little boy is playing on an iPod instead of being out playing football."

The last statement would be unfair. Son #1 LOVES being out in the garden running around and playing. He'd always choose a kickaround in the park over sitting playing TW Golf. But what about those rainy days (of which there are far too many at the moment) when he's played with his Play-doh, his Thomas trains, his Playmobil pirate ship etc. and just wants to play on my iPhone for a while?

My decision is made. When I get back from church I'm going on eBay and I'm going to find an iPod Touch and liberate my iPhone from sticky fingers and the inevitable 'drop and smash' moment.

Thanks for listening.
Much Love!

Friday, 17 July 2009

Brand new day - brand new blog

I'm already feeling beset by writer's block! It feels odd to commit to committing my thoughts on screen in this way but I've been inspired to blog by one of my students and I don't want to let her down. Come to think of it - surely I should be the one inspiring her?! But I guess that's the way of the world these days: everything gets turned on its head somehow.

So, what will I blog about? Well, the title I've chosen suggests that I intend to blog about absolutely anything and everything, I suppose. I have lots of opinions, I do lots of soul-searching and hypothesising, I think deeply and I care about stuff so I guess my blog will reflect all this. Even if it doesn't serve to entertain/amuse/inform/challenge/inspire followers it might at least help me get stuff sorted in my head!

I'm going to have to leave this first entry there because my youngest son is likely to wake up any minute wanting to be fed and my eldest son (who is currently playing on my iPhone - more about this state of affairs later) is desperate for me to 'play Play-Doh'.

Much love!