"Electronics" are a tool available to people. Use is a personal preference. If you mean gaming, I'm seeing more and more grown adults into the mess. I don't understand it, but each to their own right. It's what makes this country great! For my kids, they are mostly grown and I let them do what they want, but if it's a distraction to me, whomever the company, I'll ask them to join the scene.
Brent and Gina wrote: "Electronics" are a tool available to people. Use is a personal preference.
You are correct, however it seems like society has become SLAVES to the electronics instead of them being a tool for us to USE. Our outlook on many things including this comes from personal tragedy, in my signature picture is my oldest who is wearing a black ball cap, and he was murdered three years ago at age 21. And we have tons pictures of us and him, when we are doing something like playing games a memory will be sparked by something we are doing or see and someone will say Mike would like that or remember when Mike…
(Please DO NOT let this highjack this thread) I didn’t say that to be a negative or a bummer, I am sharing it to give a different perspective to “family time” cause after you loose someone the regrets or the “would have, should have, could have” come to mind. For us he truly loved life and loved family time. After he moving into his own place, if we text him that we were playing dominos he would show up and take “his seat” to play. He joined the US Army after high school. We drove to MO to attend his graduation from BCT and what did he want to do? See the picture below.
Sorry to ramble; Enjoy the time you have with your loved ones and the time they have with you.
* This post was
edited 03/24/12 07:00am by searfoss *
No, with one notable exception, the electronics stay at home. The exception is e-ink book readers, as those are essentially just books. (Ours don't have games, and the batteries last upwards of a month.)
Reasons: We camp to get away. The kids have enough screen time at home. We generally hike, boat, and such while camping. These are not electronics-friendly activities, and we don't spend much time in the camp site. Also, we almost always camp without electrical hookups and I want the electric from the solar panel to be available for lights and the water pump, not charging/running electronics.
Everytime someone posts a thread like this one: "electronics and camping" I get confused.
What is it about the topic of camping and the use of electronics that brings out the beast in some people?
Yes, in my family, we all bring our electronics when we go camping. And, yes, just like in real "back at the house" life, believe it or not, we even manage to do camping things. We hike, roast marshmallows, play games outside at the picnic table,etc.
My opinion, electronics and camping do not have to be mutually exclusive. Why should they be? In this day and age, while camping, I still want to: use my cell phone to call my mom, check my email, watch the news, see what Sheldon is up to on the tv, perhaps watch a dvd in the evening,and text my other daughters to let them know how we are doing. And my husband uses his Kindle to read, and even though he might not think I know it-I know he has some games on his Kindle. And, why shouldn't our daughter, who camps with us, have the same option?
We have electronics at home and have not turned into electronic zombies, so why would we during a camping trip? Now, I'm not saying that there are not some people with an electronics "over-use" issue, but, in my opinion, that is not the normal family. And, that is not a camping issue anyway.
Using ALL electronics might take an hour out of my day and a few hours out of my evening. So what? I am taking MY camping trip and want to stay connected. And, I am not one of those young whippersnappers-I am 54.
Center Pin wrote: Yes but with strict rules. They only can be used when on freeways and in the morning before parents get up ... you wake us up and they go off. This lets us "sleep in" till 7-7:30 (that is late around our place. the rest of the time we are all to busy playing!
Exactly what we do as well. Ipods in the truck and in the mornings if everyone else is still asleep. Otherwise put it away and lets go outside!
Some friends who moved away a few years ago came up back to our area for our St Patrick ’s Day Parade and last night we all went out for an Irish Supper. Our friend stopped eating and looked at my bud and said, “I didn’t drive 5 hours to spend the weekend watching you play with your phone”. Ouch! The truth can sting sometimes….. My bud put his phone away.
Absolutely! We bring the projector to watch big movies on the side of our camper. An iPod for the good tunes. A computer to look up area events, to check my Etsy store and for homework. A cell phone because it's been surgically attached to my hip. DVDs for after-hours. And of course my Nook, because reading and lawnchairs just go good together.
Nowadays kids are in front of 'screens' and electronics all day. Today's children aren't familiar with nature and have little opportunity to surround themselves in natural environments. Electronic "diddlers" are hypnotic, distracting and addictive.
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