my grandaughter's dream job

flipflopgirl said:

The 4 year old Grand came to me today and told me she wants to be just like (garbled language so didn't quite catch what she was saying) when she grows up.

What????

So it seem she watches these "personalities" on you tube (on her Nobbie) that are no more than decorated hands opening small toys and then playing with them for a short amt of time..... making up stories to show how much fun it is and pitch said toy.

Pretty sure these snake oil hawkers are making a pretty penny from the toy manufacturers.

Those same manufacturers have hit a gold mine....by making mini figures and hiding which character it is by packaging them in decorated foil and pricing them attractively.

Just cheap enuf that if Gma's and Gpa's tell them no they can just use their allowance for it (way under five bucks).

My Little Ponies.... Pet Shop Characters.....even Lego has jumped on board.

Crazy right?

mimi

Click to expand...

Hi Mimi,

There seem to be a few things to factor in here. One, our economy has most certainty been turned more and more towards advertising and marketing the past 5 years, no doubt.

But you also must factor in Juvenoia, it is a exaggerated fear of younger generations growing up with so much access to the internet. Most worry because it is so different then from when they grew up. This is due to the incredible technological leaps we have made since the year 2000. The root of this is the difference in upbringing, meaning that most parents fear that they are not raising there kids correctly because this is not how they were raised. This notion is usually rendered baseless, and not needed. But it does go to show the generational differences between you're upbringing and you're grand daughter. This is completely normal and seen throughout the world. Because the fact of the matter is that the world has changed, gone are the days when the majority of people have deep, person-to-person conversation, its mostly texting now(Which I deeply despise..).

There most certainty is a difference, even from me, at age 17, to my cousins, ages 3 and 6. They have much more technology then myself and my brother had, and it is noticeable. This defiantly shows how quickly technology is advancing and how it is important to have you and you're children understand that the internet is not a place to play around in, it can be dangerous, and it seems that many parents do not understand that. Not to contradict myself but the internet can also be educational granted that the parents monitor the child and censor explicate material.

I have a more complex understanding of computers and the internet then most due to my background in building computers and WiFi networks. That's why my kid will not have any piece of technology before 10. I find it quite foolish to give them a device with access to the internet before then can even fully comprehend how to use it. However, the Nabi that you were mentioning is an acceptation, I have had hands on experience with it and it is very convenient because you can set child locks and block the internet so all you are left with is TV.

Hope I didn't ramble on too long, but this is an important subject that(as you can tell) I really do enjoy talking about.

Remember, I do not mean any disrespect toward you or you're kids, just my opinions and observations!

Warm Regards, Mason.

Thanks for the comments ... well said and on point IMO.
Re reading my post I found it lacking re my main concern.
Why do kids need to play with tiny toys and a pair of hands on YouTube?
They should be outside in the sunshine running around.
Or perhaps (if the weather is bad) inside playing with an actual tiny human not just a pair of adult hands.
Kinda creepy.

mimi

OBTW..... her online time is being monitored much closer these days.
She has been added to my Amazon Prime in order to have more access to age appropriate books and cartoons.
Her daily fix of "Monster High" has been totally shut down....at my house anyway.

m.

flipflopgirl said:

Thanks for the comments ... well said and on point IMO.
Re reading my post I found it lacking re my main concern.
Why do kids need to play with tiny toys and a pair of hands on YouTube?
They should be outside in the sunshine running around.
Or perhaps (if the weather is bad) inside playing with an actual tiny human not just a pair of adult hands.
Kinda creepy.

mimi

OBTW..... her online time is being monitored much closer these days.
She has been added to my Amazon Prime in order to have more access to age appropriate books and cartoons.
Her daily fix of "Monster High" has been totally shut down....at my house anyway.

m.

Click to expand...

IMO, I think that mostly falls on the parents. My grandmother(recently deceased) practically raised me as my father was battling stage 3c cancer and my mother was at the hospital for support. He is alive, thankfully.

So my grandmother and grandfather practically raised me and my brother, we were always told to go outside, climb trees, play games, etc. Of course my grandmother had experience in getting kids to do what she wants as she ran a successful daycare for 30 years.

I think it falls into the hands of the parents to decide how they want to raise there kids. Thankfully, I also was able to work with my grandmother and see how she handled kids so I am fortunate in that respect.

It seems as though TV, YouTube, and other types of media have now become a way to distract the kids... But then again, when there weren't TV's then they were most likely distracted by music... I guess that there is always something to distract them, but in these days with our technological advances, media such as YouTube have made distractions readily available to parents who want their kid to stop crying.

As for going outside and playing, I remember hearing that this was due to a recent influx of single mothers raising kids. They say that it is normally the women whom worries and the father whom encourages the kid to go and play.

I can't quite answer the question as I don't have enough research or evidence, but hopefully this helps you understand a bit more!