My name is Mara and I am addicted to my new iPhone.
Phew. It feels good to write those words. I’m a little sad and ashamed to report that on our recent trip to Los Angeles and Arizona, I was guilty of something I deplore – hunching over the screen of my phone, thumbs working, eyes glazed, oblivious to the world around me. Of course, I also put the phone to some really great use – locating parking and restaurants, mapping various routes, playing great music, finding a gas station when we almost ran out of gas in the desert. But as Matt informed me last night, I also acted like a “15-year-old boy” in the Phoenix airport, Tweeting and updating my Facebook status while he entertained the kids.
I feel particularly bad about this because for years I’ve been advocate of traveling without screens. My children own no portable video games or even Leapsters. No television or DVD player has ever come anywhere near my car. Heck, we don’t even go the audio book route, choosing instead to read aloud to each other. A point of particular pride for me was our trip last summer, when we spent 48 screenless hours driving across the Midwest.
(In case you are wondering, yes I am descended from New England Puritan stock.)
I haven’t changed my stance altogether, but having the phone has made me realize that used judiciously there are some ways that technology can enhance travel for everyone. And if I’m poring over blog posts in my reader, why shouldn’t the boys be able to practice counting or puzzle solving or even *gasp* play a bit of Tetris? I realize this is a slippery slope, and I’m more than a little uneasy about it, but if I’m going to enjoy my phone, it’s only fair that I let the kids join in the fun.
So why am I writing about this? I’m participating in a contest at Best Kids Apps, a blog about iPhone apps for kids, for a chance to win an iPad. That’s right – I’m trying to win yet another screen that I can take with me! An even bigger one! But I also want to tout this site, which was created by Jamie Pearson of Travel Savvy Mom and Jen Leo, who blogs about travel for the Los Angeles Times. They are both funny and smart and know from cool when it comes to traveling with children. As a newbie to the whole kids app thing, I’m so grateful that they’ve made finding some fun stuff for the kids so easy for me.
I will conclude this post with a dual promise: I’m going to be as strict with myself as I am with the boys and never again will I sit enthralled by a screen in the airport while Matt chats with the boys. And when everything in the car (and I mean everything, especially all the books) has lost its charm on marathon drives, I will have a few goodies loaded onto Matt’s and my phone for the boys to enjoy. And if I’m lucky, while they use the phones, I can amuse myself on my new iPad.
Photo courtesy of twenty5pics via Flickr.
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I agree, there’s a fine line between obtaining useful information and ignoring the family.
I have the same dilemma.
.-= Linda´s last blog ..Medicine Wheel Park in Valley City, North Dakota =-.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Don’t worry though, you’re in good company.
.-= jamie´s last blog ..Sidetracked! Max Brenner =-.
Oh yes. I allow myself to twitter and pic away during car rides, but only for an hour or two…long road trips are set for “family time”…it also helps that ATT signal is the worst and service is unavailable most of the time anyway.
But, I hear you…very, very hard. I will continue to twitpic , but will love my kids a little extra in between ; )
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Orlando Launches Its World Smile Search =-.
I actually find the technology very helpful when travelling. All the new geo-applications are really making travelling a breeze. I hardly need to make preparations before going on a trip.
On a recent trip to Monaco, I left my iphone at home (big mistake!), I wound up missing on all the big attractions because of bad timing. We wanted to go to the oceanarium which happened to be closed on the specific day we arrived. This happened again when arriving at the closing time of some farmer market, which was supposed to be a big thing.
I guess having access to online travel information would have made our life much easier. On the other hand we did not have children with us!…
My situation is very similar – only recently bought an iPhone, previously was a bit ‘I don’t need technology to travel’, but then my personal situation changed and as well I needed to update my mobile, and I admitted that honestly, I was just being a travel snob … and gave in. It is a good tool, especially for travel (I like not only obvious things like maps and currency converters, but also apps that I can use to track my budget, or even just timers so my son and I can agree how long we are going to spend doing something!)
I am also going through the struggle of how much ‘screen time’ does my son get, both on the road and while travelling – glad to see others are working through this as well.
.-= Natalia´s last blog ..Leeds Castle =-.
Ann- You make a great point, and part of why I got the phone in the first place was to help me out in situations like the one you describe. Like Natalia says, the phone is really quite a fun and handy tool. And it lets me keep up with all those posts in my RSS reader while I’m on the road! But I’m very aware now that I don’t want the boys to see me continuously hunched over it.
It’s just funny because my concern for so long has been how much time *they* spend in front of screens – didn’t think I’d be having to curtail my own use!
And yes Jamie, I’ve definitely fallen all the way from the top of my soapbox. Dizzying!
I so agree with your “screen time” views & we do not own an iphone, wii, Nintendo DS, ipod, kindle etc, yet that has not put a damper at ALL on our open ended world tour.
We have traveled over 175,000 miles ( most overland) on 4 continents since we began our world journey and have never used the dvd player during long drives or transportation. Actually it is hardly used and we only watch family movies on our lap tops once a week.
I happen to believe those studies that say how bad screen time is on growing brains & choose to air on the cautious side as it is much to easy for children and adults alike to sink to addiction with these things.
That said we do use our laptops, but very carefully & I LIKE not having a hand held crack-like digital thing with me at all times as they DO keep you from being present with reality.
Still, now we are trying to decide whether we add something new like an ipad or kindle or?? We will be circumventing the globe & traveling 7/8 months straight with just a very small carry-on each. I;m mostly looking for a portable library for my kid who is a truly voracious reader..but we hang on to things for a long time, so want to make the best choice for a good while. We still have the same Apple laptops that we began the trip with in 2006!
I’m not sure if I will add anything, as my favorite time is when we are unplugged and in nature & having to use the laptops helps keep more separation from never ending digital world.
.-= soultravelers3´s last blog ..Around-The-World Family Travel =-.