Low tech

We have been informed that within the next calendar year, all three of our school-age children will be receiving their own iPad mini from the school district.  Not just one to share or work on at school, one for each to bring home each night, weekends and on breaks.   Owen will receive his on the first day of school, because his grade level was picked first.  WHAT?    As if I didn't have enough to worry about.   See this picture?

This Wednesday folder belongs to one of my children .  Its been living in the car.  Its supposed to be turned in on Thursday.   Today is Wednesday.  Yep, its five school days late.  This loveable, charming, polite child (who shall remain nameless) forgets everything.  He has left homework at home and books out in the rain.  So handing this child a $350 electronic device for his backpack is a great idea.  Will he remove it gingerly from his backpack before he just misses his designated hook in the garage and it crash lands on the concrete floor?  And the thing I'm almost sure of, because I've been to a Cub Scout pack meeting, is that these are common traits among grade school boys.

Now I'm sure there is some kind of insurance we will be able to buy on this new school version of the composition notebook, costing Bart and I money when we don't even want the thing.  Oh yes,  we'll take the insurance times three, thank you.

What bothers me the most is that we limit technology at our house.  Bart is in the IT field and we still limit technology.   We limit tv time and computer time.  Caroline did receive a phone this year, but signed a contract of our expectations.  I pick up Caroline at school and I see every middle schooler staring at their phone.  At the Pinewood Derby this year, most boys were not watching the races because they were playing different races on their iPod Touch or DS.  Bart and I were appalled.  It is hard enough for adults to escape their devices, now our children will have to navigate it as well.  Thanks school district for putting me in the position of keeping track of these things and of being the bad guy - "time to turn off the" - insert tv, computer and now iPad.   Surely we are not the only parents that want their children to have more play time, more down time, more bike riding, more face to face time and not FaceTime.

Thank you for letting me vent - now go back to your vices, I mean devices.