LogFAQs > #976521430

Sad_Face posted...

Why are you defending the use of iPads and excessive use of phones? @Punished_Blinx I'm gonna ping you because this is incredibly angering that you would do this and used "I'm a parent so my opinion holds more weight" previously in this topic.

We are on a game forum and I can bet most of us weren't allowed to play our Gameboys at the dinner table when we were kids. Yet my all my friends who have kids let them use their phones at a restaurant. This is going to have a detrimental effect on their ability to focus, their attention span, and their ability to pay attention. You can't be making excuses for the consequences that will come from this.

I never said anything about excessive use. This topic is about judging random strangers from brief observations.

Of course it's bad if kids can't make a single dinner without an iPad. But I don't know any random family enough to make that judgement. For all I know that's the first dinner they've had out in a year and they had to use their last resort. There's no reason for me to assume anything.

Personally I don't let my kids ever watch phones or iPads when having dinner out. We've been able to handle it fine (although we've had to finish up quickly when they were really little).

But I also am friends with a couple who has an autistic son and he can barely handle a birthday party without one so far. People like them get judged all the time and it fucking sucks. It's hard enough as is for them without the feeling of people judging.

Personally as a kid I remember having to sit around in a pub for hours while my parents drank and begged to use a Game Boy. Time felt like an eternity. I remember what it felt like as a kid and feeling the wait of every minute. So I'm sympathetic in that regard as well and being forced to sit around while my parents had fun isn't a positive memory for me.

But the real issue here is this constant assumptions and judgements made about parenting. I said don't judge kids on an iPad when you see them as you don't know the full story. Automatically you assume I'm talking about excessive use and call me into question . This sorta shit happens all the time. It leads to parents to stop giving a shit about what people think even if what they are doing is actually bad. People will judge them anyway.