Are your kids old enough to read and spell? If they are, chances are they also watch crap on YouTube.
As a blogger, I’m finding I also need to know something about photography. Someone gave me the brilliant suggestion to go to YouTube and watch videos. What a great idea! So I thought I’d take some time and do that.
Over I go to YouTube only to be accosted with every video of people unwrapping Kinder (or Play-Doh) Eggs, opening packages of toys, or doing doll makeovers. Oh, and makeup tutorials (because every 8-year-old wants to look exactly like Draculaura), babies that drink and then pee into a diaper that reveals a charm, or “Babies Eat Play Doh and Poop Surprise Bags.” What does that even mean??
I figure my kids get on the actual computer 2 hours total a week – and that’s between both the girls. I let them watch “videos” in the evening when my husband is not home. Usually only Emma watches, and often only for 30 minutes while I put Rose to bed. The thing about Emma is she is now 7 and is resourceful enough to try to spell things, or find a book with the words in it that she wants. Usually this is good. Means there’s less “MOM!” and more quiet time. But it also means she can find obscure weird things to watch.
When the girls were a bit younger, they watched some cartoon with a girl and a bear. The weird thing there is that it was all in Russian (I think.) And they would watch episode after episode. They loved it! The suggestions YouTube provides after you’ve watched something can be quite interesting as well. Emma has now figured out you don’t have to do one of those, you can pick something else to watch next.
The thing that I don’t really enjoy them watching is games. It’s hard to explain but someone will upload what they played in a princess game of some sort so you literally watch someone else’s game progress. You get no input, it’s like a moving screenshot and so boring. It’s mind-numbing to me, how is this interesting to them?
For me, YouTube is where you go to find a music video of interest, or watch a tutorial on something. For them, it’s just another source of entertainment.
I try to limit their time-wasting on the computer (or phone or other devices) but sometimes it’s nice to read while they’re entertained by something. At least I can see over their shoulders what they’re watching. And if I leave them for a bit I can always visit YouTube later and I’ll know what they saw. Too bad I never get to see suggestions for myself based on my choices – guess that’s mom life for ya!
~Jess
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