5AF Parenting Thread

Postby **Morkle** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 1:51 pm

Your 7 year old has a phone? Yeesh.

Is that normal? I didn't grow up in the cell phone era, so I don't know.
It's an old spare phone that has no cell service, just wifi. No web browser, heavily locked down, and parental controls enabled. She uses it for Facebook Messenger for Kids for her friends and family, and Duolingo, nothing else.
Oh... okay. I was just picturing a 7 year old walking around with an iPhone 11 texting with friends.

I know of this scenario right now with at least two acquaintances. It blows my mind.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 1:53 pm

On one hand, this is a glimpse into your future (and all of us dads with young girls)

On the other hand, this woman is cray cray and her daughter may be reaping those qualities. Is your daughter really friends with this girl, or sort of "forced" into being friends with her due to the situation?

My daughter really was friends with her. I have no issues with the kid. She's very sensitive, and my daughter's bold, so they used to have issues in daycare, but nothing bad. For instance, one day she wore a t-shirt with a picture of slime on it or something, and my daughter said it looked like a boogy in a joking fashion. Well, numbnuts complained to the teacher that her kid was being harassed. I thought daycare was joking when they brought it up that day.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 1:54 pm

Your 7 year old has a phone? Yeesh.

Is that normal? I didn't grow up in the cell phone era, so I don't know.
It's an old spare phone that has no cell service, just wifi. No web browser, heavily locked down, and parental controls enabled. She uses it for Facebook Messenger for Kids for her friends and family, and Duolingo, nothing else.
Oh... okay. I was just picturing a 7 year old walking around with an iPhone 11 texting with friends.
I know of this scenario right now with at least two acquaintances. It blows my mind.

I do, as well. I wasn't particularly fond of giving a 7 year old the device, but we only allow her to use it for a short period of time every day. I know a few who just don't want their kids bothering them.

Postby **Morkle** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 3:53 pm

I'm more on the, you're not going to bother with it until you're x age. Our son already has a crazy addiction to just looking at pictures of himself at almost two years old. It's insanity.

It's forced me to limit his viewing to minutes at a time and using alexa to tell him it's enough. My wife has it worse, if he sees her phone, he melts down and cries about it - breaking him of the habit has been rough.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 4:36 pm

We use the parental controls on iOS, PS4, and Windows to limit our kids screentime (11 and 14). This has been key since they have basically been home since March 16. If we didn't control it, they would be in front of a screen/video game for 20 hours a day. No exaggeration.

And protip: do not let your kids keep their devices in their bedrooms (same with PCs or TVs).

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 4:44 pm

We use the parental controls on iOS, PS4, and Windows to limit our kids screentime (11 and 14). This has been key since they have basically been home since March 16. If we didn't control it, they would be in front of a screen/video game for 20 hours a day. No exaggeration.

And protip: do not let your kids keep their devices in their bedrooms (same with PCs or TVs).

We do the same on all counts.

We forgot to get her kindle the other night, and she came into our room at 3am saying she couldn’t sleep. She told us later that morning that she woke up and was watching Netflix for a few hours.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 5:00 pm

Yeeeepppp...wait until she's on Snapchat (which is what my kids use to talk to friends). It's like crack.

I distinctly remember sitting in my basement in O'Hara TWP playing the NES with my brother for HUNDREDS of hours during the summer. My parents didn't care. But we also didn't have smartphones and tablets as well.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 5:10 pm

She will not be on Snapchat, Tik Tok, or any of these other cesspools. Thankfully, she’s very much prefer to be playing outside.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:38 pm

Yeah, mine were like that too. Then middle school happened.

They actually do go outside a good bit, riding bikes and playing basketball on the goal I put up back in July. But it’s pretty miserable here outside until late October.

Postby **faftorial** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:54 pm

Mine are now 18, 21, and 24 and, like all you animals on here, have access to all of the internets for better or worst.

Postby **MWB** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 10:15 pm

I’m in the camp of teach them the correct life skills and they’ll know how to navigate the cesspools. But those all came about when my kids were teens.

Postby **NTP66** » Fri Aug 14, 2020 6:00 am

I’m in the camp of teach them the correct life skills and they’ll know how to navigate the cesspools. But those all came about when my kids were teens.

Postby **pens9192** » Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:19 am

The kids have a sleepover at grandma's tomorrow night..the first one since January. My wife and I have been on one date since then and that was a few hours in June for our anniversary. Very badly needed.

Postby **meow** » Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:35 am

aww yeeeaahh

Postby **shafnutz05** » Fri Aug 14, 2020 12:17 pm

Enjoy man! What a great feeling.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Fri Aug 14, 2020 12:19 pm

Last year at the beach, my daughter had floaties on and was generally very skittish near the water.

She's six this year... It has been so cool to see her go from running from the waves on day 1, to now just hanging out in the water, floating over the small waves and under the bigger ones. She's gotten much braver.

I was able to take my 10 month old in the water a bunch this week, and he seemed to really like it too.

Postby **King Colby** » Fri Aug 14, 2020 2:49 pm

Enjoy man! What a great feeling.

giggity

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:17 am

Got a call from the hospital about my daughter's upcoming dental appointment (she needs anesthesia because she's scared of the drill right now). $1250 co-pay.

I hope this is the only time we have to go this route, because that's **** insane.

Postby **mac5155** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:37 pm

Seriously, f anesthesia prices/payments.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:20 am

Seriously, f anesthesia healthcare prices/payments.

FTFY

Postby **robbiestoupe** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 9:55 am

Wow, who is "co" paying that? More like you-pay

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:34 am

I believe the insurance company will cover the rest of the $1252.33 bill.

Postby **Beveridge** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:35 am

The insurance company sets the copay price, not the hospital.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:39 am

I know...

Postby **NTP66** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:15 pm

Today has been fun. Went to the hospital, and the dentist came out and said that everything went great. He noticed a previous filling that didn’t look good, so he replaced it. Fast forward to my daughter waking up. She says her front teeth hurt (they didn’t work on them), and is borderline hysterical in pain. They give her Tylenol and then a little more morphine. She’s fine for a few hours, and then the pain returns, so I’ve been giving her meds and ambesol as needed. Called the dentist and he thinks he just needs to shave off some of the new material to help with her bite. I dunno, she says it hurts even when she doesn’t touch her teeth. I feel awful for her.