raising gen “beta”

[magdalena31531]

@pgrocal I (millennial) was having a conversation with my father (boomer) about no screen time until five years of age as recommended by WHO and he got concerned that our kid would not be as advanced with technology as the other kids. I tried to explain that I wanted him to have my 90s childhood and that kids today do not even know how to use scissors and have a high dopamine threshold due to the constant stimulation. So I want my kid to develop essential skills to be able to be grounded, enjoy a book, be out in nature and most important of all, be curious.

If I, an adult, am addicted to my phone, doom scrolling instagram (worse now during night breastfeeding), then imagine a child without any self regulating skills. He will still be good with technology, as I got when I started using computers in my early teens or like my dad in his forties. And honestly, children that start with screen time so early have a harder time in school due to lack of focus.

I think many that had their childhood in the 90s feel the same, meaning that children of millennials might be a lot calmer and maybe more concious of the world. We shall see how that manifests. Hopefully the end of influencers and mass consumerism, and more 70s rebellion, peace and love?

Edit: Also I read that 90 cartoons are really good for kids. It is not too stimulating, as they are today. So I will be picking cartoons that are simple and easy to follow.

 

[jpsinmn]

@magdalena31531 What’s interesting is that even with all the screen time kids have now, their computer literacy is awful (yes I am generalizing of course). They might now how to work a touch screen better or know how to post things on social media but so many of them don’t even know how to use a computer mouse, how to interpret results from a search engine, how to use tech as a tool instead of purely an entertainment device. I think screen time at an early age that is intentional can be extremely beneficial but most kids are having a very passive experience, and it’s not doing anything to advance their technological skills. Again I’m generalizing here but this has been my experience recently when teaching young children.

 

[magdalena31531]

@jpsinmn That’s interesting, and can see it. We grew up with Windows, meaning that teens at my time knew how to program. I even knew how to customise my MySpace profile with simple html code.

 

[rhonda51]

@pgrocal Your new baby will be generation alpha. Alpha goes to the end of 2024.

 

[pgrocal]

@rhonda51 ok thanks plz read previous comments about blurry lines

 

[lordswill]

@pgrocal I have a 5mo old so he's still gen alpha but I'm absolutely worried about finding that balance for screen time. Me and my brother grew up with computers and gaming consoles being common but we weren't dependent on it. I look at my 6yr old cousin and he is almost addicted to video games/tablets already and that worries me.

Husband and I plan on using a combination of what we grew up with and newer techniques for LO. Gentle parenting of course, screen time but not too strict as I have seen it used as a great teaching tool (jumpstart, Leap frog, hooked on phonics, etc). Encouraging questions, talking through emotions. Things like that. We're in the US so as a precaution, he'll need to have a phone as soon as he starts grade school for safety but with certain age restrictions in place that will get removed as he gets older. Absolutely no Roblox though.

The biggest thing for me is learning through experience. That was big for me growing up and taught me a lot. There's a park up the street from us so once a week we will be there to play with other kids when he's older. I've got a year membership for our local aquarium/zoo so we can take him throughout the year. He already loves animals. I've looked into swimming classes and kid play gyms. Some are free and inexpensive so I'm taking advantage of that. Science centers, museums, places like that I've already scoped out for when he's older.

But of course having flexibility is important as well so we're staying open minded that our planned techniques may need to be changed on the fly!

 

[favourfelix]

@pgrocal I’m nursing my 5mo baby and wishing we could get together for tea to talk about this! My goal is to homestead, homeschool, take the kids to our dairy for pizza nights and the farmers market on weekends for meeting people and letting them sell whatever we grow/make. While baby’s a tiny baby, I try to keep him with me as much as I can (good for my milk production and he gets to see what I am doing/feel the stuff I am touching.) When I need to set him down, I try to set him up with something simple he can touch/put in his mouth cause he can’t crawl or do anything yet. We listen to music and we video chat with friends/family but baby mostly likes quiet. When we visit my parents, we are usually the first ones up so I throw on a wrap and baby comes along to feed the animals and admire sunrise. We cosleep even for naps cause he’s very sensitive to noise/movement so he has a hard time staying asleep if he gets disturbed and I am not there when he reaches out.

I’d edit so this was less stream-of-consciousness but I don’t feel like it. “Forgive me, I didn’t have time to write you a shorter letter.” But I hope it’s relevant. Congratulations on your baby, it’s such an all-consuming but amazing thing to become a parent.

 

[pingpongdan]

@pgrocal Wait. My kiddos are 2020 + 2024 bdays. I thought they were gen alpha. Are they gen beta?

 

[tuesdaywithtory]

@pingpongdan They are gen alpha. Gen beta will start in either 2024 or 2025 but there’s not a set date yet. So assuming both of your children are already born, they are gen alpha
— lol editing to clarify assuming your youngest is already born… of course your oldest is!

 

[pingpongdan]

@tuesdaywithtory Both already born!

Thank you!