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Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls
wraith808:
^Even with that, the rest of my comment still stands. :)
-40hz (August 17, 2014, 01:20 PM)
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Even without her making the app, the technology was already there. So... that sort of pokes a hole in part of the rest of your comment. :P
40hz:
^Don't think so. Re-read it again. ;)
This is being advanced in the name of "the children." ;D
tomos:
This is being advanced in the name of "the children." ;D
-40hz (August 17, 2014, 01:37 PM)
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^that on it's own is not a reason to knock it either.
I suspect you dont have children from your response above (only those of us without kids could be so idealistic I think), but I still think you made good points :up:
Edvard:
This is being advanced in the name of "the children." ;D
-40hz (August 17, 2014, 01:37 PM)
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^that on it's own is not a reason to knock it either.
I suspect you dont have children from your response above (only those of us without kids could be so idealistic I think), but I still think you made good points :up:
-tomos (August 17, 2014, 02:34 PM)
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40Hz, you made some very good points, but I do agree with Tomos. My kid has had his ups and downs, but he's really good about calling or texting back, so I'd never have any reason to use this app, and we've tried to raise him to be ready for real independence when the time comes.
Whether that makes me a good parent or not, I consider myself fortunate.
So many kids are not as responsible, regardless of the quality of their parents, and I see it every damn time I go someplace where 12-16 year-olds congregate (thankfully, that's not often :-\ ). "Won't somebody think of the children" has so often been used as a nice little mockery to throw at us folks who ARE thinking of our children that I have just stop and draw a line, instead of bowing in shame for 'keeping little junior from his potential'.
Even patient, responsible parents who do their best to raise citizens of integrity is deadly aware that oftentimes our children do not think. Period. As immature human beings, they very easily get into herd mentality and suddenly they're doing things that prove either unhealthy or life-threatening. How do I know that? Because I did it as a kid, and I have to admit, some of those things were an awful lot of fun; but I can honestly say that in most cases I did not think through the consequences before doing it. My mother would have had an instant heart attack if she knew where I was and what I was up to, because she loved me dearly and wanted to continue seeing me in one piece for as long as possible.
That's NOT an unreasonable desire on the part of any parent.
I'm sure any thinking person can come up with counter-arguments and "what if" scenarios until the cows come home, but at the bottom line, just because someone uses this app, doesn't mean they are not parenting. In fact, if used as intended in the situations called for (not just because you want to lock out Missy until she picks up some milk on the way home from the waterpark), it can be as useful a parenting tool as any. Yes, some will find ways to abuse it, yes, kids will find a way around it, welcome to human nature. But for God's sake, don't make me feel any less if I used it because I wanted to know if my kid was still alive or not.
:two:
40hz:
This is being advanced in the name of "the children." ;D
-40hz (August 17, 2014, 01:37 PM)
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^that on it's own is not a reason to knock it either.
I suspect you dont have children from your response above (only those of us without kids could be so idealistic I think), but I still think you made good points :up:
-tomos (August 17, 2014, 02:34 PM)
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Although I don't have biological progeny of my own, I've done a fair amount of genuine child rearing in my time. So I'm not insensitive or unaware of the concerns many parents have. (Unless somebody wants put forth that old bromide that says: "if they're not your own it's not the same. Because if that's the case, we might as well just end the discussion now. ;D)
However, just because somebody is "concerned," or "worried," or "Your Mother" doesn't justify doing something short-sighted and wrong (from both a behavioral and ethical perspective) in the name of "doing what's right for your child."
That's a 'justification' for all sorts of horrendous actions and interventions children shouldn't be subjected to.
You don't point electronic surveillance/control technology at a loved one. At least not in my school of ethics.
How do I know that? Because I did it as a kid
-Edvard (August 17, 2014, 04:48 PM)
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@E - I think that's a case of YMMV. Something that varies from family to family. That sort of thing hasn't been an issue in my family. Maybe it's luck. But we don't happen to think so. We like to think it's more how we bring our kids up. And our approach may not work for everybody since each family situation is different. So it goes.
Minor point: any time I hear people getting very defensive about something, I see a red flag. My opinion about somebody's parenting shouldn't matter to them if they truly do think they're doing what's right to the best of their knowledge. So when I hear people saying: "don't make me feel any less if I used it because I wanted to know if my kid was still alive or not" I suspect they too feel there is something intrinsically wrong with using an app like this one. I'm not trying to make anybody feel a certain way. But I am saying this entire approach is flat out wrong. It's harmful. It's dehumanizing. And it sends the wrong message to a kid about behaving responsibly and considerately.
But that's me. :)
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