The Bad Mommy

I work only to pay for his therapy later.

Name:
Location: Novato, California, United States

Thursday, March 22, 2007

News of The World

C's latest thing is the computer. He's used it pretty regularly from the time he was about 3 but in the last few months has completely embraced it, particularly the internet. He's very fond of Google and uses it on a daily basis for just about everything he can think of.

This morning at about 6:2o, I went in to wake him up and found his bed empty. I headed out to the family room where I found him sitting at the computer reading Time For Kids. He had already scanned today's New York Times and I believe he was headed for CNN next. The Mean, Cruel and Heartless Mommy insisted that he brush his teeth and take a shower instead.

Once again, I find myself wondering how this kid wound up with me. I never read any news on a regular basis until I was well into adulthood. While I wasn't uninformed, neither was I particularly well informed. C is not only pretty well informed, he's also quite opinionated. That part doesn't surprise me. :-)

Just like all the experts suggest, we've set our internet-connected computer up in a central area of our home so that we can keep an eye on what the "little" guy is reading and looking at. But while the experts have a lot to say about chat rooms, porn sites and instant messaging, they seem to be largely silent on the topic of World News for a Nine Year Old and his ideas about improving existing search engines.

What do your kids use the computer for? What do you limit access to and what do you encourage?

Monday, March 12, 2007

Pacific Daylight Time

Saturday morning: C has a friend sleep over Friday night. Unbeknownst to M and me, the kids set the alarm to go off at 6:15 Saturday morning. The alarm has a feature by which you can record your own sounds to use as the ringer. The sounds C and his friend create sound like a cat fight. The entire household wakes up at 6:15.

Sunday morning: Even though he didn't get to sleep until after midnight Saturday night, C wakes up at 7:15, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He tells us that he wanted some time on the computer before M and I are up. Let's just say that the rest of the household didn't get up that early.

Today: At 6:30 am when I go in to wake him up to get ready for school, C is comatose under the covers. He is cranky and not overly-cooperative. "Mom, the guy who invented daylight savings time is a jerk."


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