Too much technology can lead to weak delayed gratification muscles. Parents need to think about what's best for their child and family, not what the neighbors are doing. What is acceptable and common for the age group is not always appropriate. There is often is a sense of entitlement with these things. Now it's harder than ever to do so.Įxcess - kids who live in economically privileged parts of the world have too many privileges and possessions. In the past, parents tried to protect their kids from these influences until they were more mature and could make better decisions. Children can be exposed to ideas and concepts that are disturbing and that can change their developing brains. Kids can be all over the world in their bedrooms. Access refers to easy availability of the world and other people. Osit refers to access and excess in his book. That is not always healthy for relationships.ĭr. Anonymity - we get more brazen and nervy when using technology. The messages they get are not always appropriate.ģ.
Changing values - the attitudes and behavior of kids has declined because modern kids have access to the world.
For example, texting eliminates many challenges socially that contain important lessons for kids and teens to learn.Ģ. Impairment of social skills - when machine to machine interaction replaces person to person interaction too much of the time, kids will not readily learn nuances essential to social skills. Why should parents be concerned about this?ġ. The effect of this is that kids are less connected to the family. Statistics show that kids spend more than half of their playtime in front of screens. Parents owe it to their kids to set boundaries when it comes to the use of gadgets, for their kid's long term physical, emotional as well as social health. Osit reveals how the combination of high-tech interaction and immediate gratification is putting our children at risk for developing distorted self-image, poor work ethic, a sense of entitlement, and weakened social skills, as well as aggressive tendencies. Do we have reason to be concerned, and if yes, how do we go about setting limits? Younger and younger children are spending more and more time interacting not with human beings, but with gadgets - cell phones, computers, video games, and other devices. Modern parents are concerned about the effects of technology on their kids. This is an enjoyable read of Sinclair Lewis that works as good summer reading, and if you've ever wanted to see great north, the description in this book is worthy of any modern travel classic. This novel was written a year after Lewis himself spent some time in Canada, though his brother stayed their far longer. The three survive, and each chooses their own path at the end, leading to a relatively light ending for a Sinclair Lewis novel, and a pretty easy read. The two become lovers, and their guide steals their canoe and abandons them right before an understandably furious Joe Easter catches up with them, right before massive forest fires almost engulf all three. Alverna runs away from Joe and persuades Ralph to take her with him back to civilization. To break away from temptation Ralph decides to take off in a canoe with only a single guide to find his original host, Woodbury. Alverna is bored and a flirt, and it doesn't take long before Ralph is heads over heels in love with her. Joe agrees, and as their canoe heads toward Mantrap Landing, Joe tells Ralph about a visit he took to Minneapolis the year before, which was where he met and married his wife, Alverna, whom he brought back to live with him in the wild. Joe owns a store at Mantrap Landing, and Ralph comes to regard Joe as a true friend, and then begs him to take him away from Wes Woodbury. At one of their camping spots a Canadian fur trader named Joe Easter shows up. He agrees to go, only to find out on the trail that he hates the bullying, self-important Wes Woodbury. Prescott decides to make the trip because he was working long hours and stressing himself out. The plan is for them to travel through northern Canada while fishing, hunting, and meeting Indians and fur trappers and live the "simple," rugged life of the great outdoors as a way of getting away for the summer. Wesson Woodbury to join him for several weeks roughing it during the summer in northern Canada. Ralph Prescott, a 40 year old bachelor is persuaded by E. This book, while not as directly political as many of Sinclair Lewis's other works, does display the conflicting roles of men and women in the 1920's.