Daddy Duty: My 2-year-old loves her tablet (and why shouldn’t she?)

Isabella watches a YouTube video with Mr. Big Bear while enjoying a bottle before bed recently.(Photo: TIM WALTERS/FLORIDA TODAY)Buy Photo

When I was a kid, a big concern for parents was kids watching too much TV.

We were told not to sit so close, but with TV remotes not being prevalent until the mid-'80s, you had to sit close so you could easily change channels.

Along came Nintendo in the mid-to-late 1980s, and the new concern was kids sitting and playing video games for too long. This problem persists to this day.

In the '90s, personal computers spread like the plague, and now sitting at a monitor became another concern.

[ DADDY DUTY: *Big* changes for a growing Isabella ]

A new concern for modern-day parents is the tablet. Tablets rose to prominence at the turn of this decade. During the past 7 years they have made their way into millions of homes across the country – and world for that matter. They bring a new form of entertainment that television cannot deliver.

Believe it or not, Isabella already is becoming a whiz at working my tablet — and she's only 2 1/2.

I'm certainly not keen on her using the tablet a lot, but it has its advantages.

She loves a series of videos on YouTube called "Bob the Train." Bob has all sorts of fun songs and learning games. Isabella loves music, and these are music-based, so she sings the tunes all the time.

When she wants to use the tablet, she calls it "train." She'll lead me by the hand to where we keep the tablet plugged in, she'll toss my hand upward at it and say "train!"

[ DADDY DUTY: Turning 40, from a dude's POV ]

Don't worry. We don't always give it to her. She needs to play with her toys and other learning tools we have at home. She gets upset when we don't give it to her, but she usually gets over it pretty quickly.

We try to limit her use to an hour, and we usually try to be strategic about when that hour is.

For instance, we generally get home from work around 6 p.m. At that time, we have to feed her, then we play with her for a bit. But then, we have to make dinner for ourselves. It's really hard to make a meal with a 2-year-old "helping."

So around 7, we finally give in to her request for the "train." At 8, it's bath time and bedtime, so we take the tablet from her. By putting her right into the tub, it cuts down on the fit she would otherwise throw when we take it away from her. She loves her bubble bath, so she quickly forgets about the tablet.

[ DADDY DUTY: Prepaid college funds can pay off ]

But as I said earlier, the tablet has its advantages. When she doesn't have it, she sings the songs she's learned as she plays. She also mimics some of the actions and dances she sees in the videos. She's talking more because these videos are mostly education-based, rather than the type of entertainment-based cartoons you get on TV. Plus, many schools are going to tablet-based curriculum. She'll be more than ready for these classes.

It should also be noted she rarely watches TV. We'll leave the Disney Junior Channel on the TV as background noise, but if she's playing with her princess castle or train set, she could care less. (Truth be told, I watch the cartoons more than she does. It beats watching the news!)

Yes, with each coming generation, there will be some sort of technological advancement that will bring concern to parents.

I turned out OK. I suspect Isabella will, too.

Walters is a content coach for FLORIDA TODAY. His Daddy Duty columns run Thursday in the Health section.

Contact Walters at 321-242-3681

or twalters@floridatoday.com.

Twitter:@twaltersinforms

Read or Share this story: http://on.flatoday.com/2k12QYe

Source: Daddy Duty: My 2-year-old loves her tablet (and why shouldn't she?)