Do you let your kids go on their phone in the car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, they are not driving so why not?!? Otherwise, they’ll just sit there. Nothing wrong with using the phone in the car. What are they suppose to do, look out the window?

Is this real or sarcasm? There's a bunch of research supporting the importance of time to let the mind wander. Kids need the chance to be comfortable with their own thoughts. And looking out the window can show them important things about the world we live in. Kids also spend so much time in cars that it may be the longest stretches of time to have conversations. Especially if they're still in the backseat, having a chance to talk with a parent without the pressure of eye contact causes a lot of kids to open up.

That said, I do let my kids read books in the car some days, but when it gets to be too much of a habit, I realize I'm missing out on important intel, and kids' tempers are shorter, too. This thread is a good reminder to not let them rely on books too too much.

Seriously? You limit how much they can read in the car? That is crazy to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long trips, yes.
Around town, no.

+1

We are exact opposite - around town yes. Long trips - there are limits and they have to put the phones down after a pre-defined limit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, they are not driving so why not?!? Otherwise, they’ll just sit there. Nothing wrong with using the phone in the car. What are they suppose to do, look out the window?

Is this real or sarcasm? There's a bunch of research supporting the importance of time to let the mind wander. Kids need the chance to be comfortable with their own thoughts. And looking out the window can show them important things about the world we live in. Kids also spend so much time in cars that it may be the longest stretches of time to have conversations. Especially if they're still in the backseat, having a chance to talk with a parent without the pressure of eye contact causes a lot of kids to open up.

That said, I do let my kids read books in the car some days, but when it gets to be too much of a habit, I realize I'm missing out on important intel, and kids' tempers are shorter, too. This thread is a good reminder to not let them rely on books too too much.

Seriously? You limit how much they can read in the car? That is crazy to me.

Yeah, that's bananas. When I was a kid, I wouldn't get in the car without a book, no matter how short the trip was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I don’t allow my teens to be on their phones in their car locally. If I’m shuttling them somewhere, they can be present.

THIS.