am i doing the right thing?
By sephrenia
@sephrenia (567)
September 26, 2007 4:27am CST
To put it bluntly, my 5 yr old is a computer whizz. He can do things on a computer that took me years to master and because I can see he is good at it, I let him spend a fair amount of time on the computer. he can search through google, use the information he finds to help him do what he wants, he can open word and prepare a basic story and uses art programs like paint shop pro and paint to do pictures for me. Obviously he doesnt spend all his time on it but a substantial amount nonetheless. I dont let him play on it till his homework is done and his room has been tidied up and he does play outside with his friends so its not as if its all the time.
Am I right in letting him constantly go online and do whatever he feels the need to do? I mean i keep it within reason, nothing that i would consider way out there and stuff like that and most of the time, he goes onto sites like Cbeebies.
At the moment he is completely engrossed in an online game called enemy territory and he has his own clan and server that he runs with minimal help from my husband. He is at least as good as a lot of the adults that play on his server but i do worry that he is too young for doing so much with computers.
I spoke to his school and they suggested that i enroll him on a beginners computer class at college but i dont know if thats the right thing to do. Right now its just fun for him but if he was to go to a class it might take away the fun element for him and besides, i wouldnt know how to do that in england anyways.
What do you guys think? should I just carry on letting him play on the computer or should i try and find other things for him to do instead?
4 people like this
12 responses
@thefortunes (2367)
• Netherlands
26 Sep 07
Hi Sephrenia, and if I were you I would definitely enroll him on a beginners computer class at college. No harm in this as it was also suggested by the school. You are doing the right thing to let him surf on the Net for things that he needs and chooses to do, and no harm in it either, as long as you know where he surfs to exactly. You are keeping an eye on it that he also gets outside to play with kids his own age, and his father is keeping an eye onhim when busy with the server and the game. It's great to have such a smart kid as a son and you could be proud :) Leave him doing what he loves and he might become some great IT specialist after awhile :)
TheFortunes
1 person likes this
@sephrenia (567)
•
26 Sep 07
Hey!
Thanks for replying and for the advice. I'm glad that you think im doing the right thing, I was just worried that maybe it was too much for him. With him being so young i just want to make sure that i dont swamp him with too much or let him get so carried away that he forgets how to play with others.
I'll go talk to my local college about getting him enrolled on a course for beginners and see how he does with that :)
Thanks again!
@thefortunes (2367)
• Netherlands
26 Sep 07
Thank you Sephrenia for the BR, and Ihope that I am giving you the right advice here, since I am no parent, and just sharing with you what I would do if I had such a child as smart as yours :)
1 person likes this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
27 Sep 07
Personally I think that it is great that you are encouraging your son to do something that interests him. As long as there are boundaries (which you have already set in seems; like with him finishing homework first)and as long as you effectively are able to monitor his browsing etc then I see no issue. The internet is a fountain of knowledge of course; but also harbors knowledge that can have a very damaging effect on a child. Th most important thing of all in my opinion though is to ensure that his participation in this remains fun and not an obligation. enrolling him in a basic course sounds great but be wary of his reactions to it and the minute it seems to be more of a chore for him than a passion back off.
I was a repeated victim of being pushed hard into any sport or activity that I showed promise in and instead of being activities of enjoyment, they became things I learned to dislike immensely because I felt that rather than doing these things for fun; I was doing them to keep someone else happy. It sounds like you have a very gifted son! I wish you the best!
1 person likes this
@sephrenia (567)
•
27 Sep 07
Hi James,
Thankyou for your reply. I see that you speak from personal experience here and from the other point of view and that helps me out a lot. I will have a word with my local college and see what they think. If they think that he will be able to handle it then ill take him and remove him if i see he is getting bored with it. I dont want to be a pushy mum and only throw him in one direction which is why i try to get him to do other things as well as sit at the computer.
Thankyou again for replying and your kind words!
1 person likes this
@Stiletto (4579)
•
26 Sep 07
I don't see anything wrong in enrolling him in a beginners computer class. I think if he has a natural aptitude for something that should be encouraged so I think that would be the right way to do it. The only thing I would say is to make sure he is getting enough physical exercise. I don't think it's healthy for anyone to spend a lot of time in front of a pc but particularly not young children.
1 person likes this
@sephrenia (567)
•
27 Sep 07
Hi stiletto!
Thankyou for your kind words. I am doing my best to keep everything balanced for him, like at the minute hes not allowed on the computer because he was naughty at school and instead hes been playing with his toys and his friend from the neighbours house comes and plays with him. I always make sure school and other stuff comes first before computers and i think that he appreciates that because he gets to see more than a screen!
Thanks again!
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
26 Sep 07
I'd say if he wants to take a Beginners Computer class and you can find one, by all means encourage him. It sounds like your doing great by making sure that school still comes first and he's still going out and playing with his friends so he's not becoming hooked on the net. I think as long as your supervising him carefully while he's online it should be fine. I think if computers are what interest him...let him learn.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
1 person likes this
@sephrenia (567)
•
27 Sep 07
Hi Twoey!
Thankyou for the advice. I'm totally keeping an eye on what he does because i know that sometimes sites that seem innocent can turn out to be something i dont want him to see. I use a child safety lock feature that my hubby downloaded and so far it seems to be working so thats at least one worry out of the way.
Thanks again!
@vicki2876 (5636)
• Canada
26 Sep 07
I only concern I would have would be the level of physical activity he has but it sounds like he does that as well.
It does sound like he may be gifted with computers and you may want to continue to help him grow that skill for the future. It is a huge industry and he could make a lot of money and looks like he really enjoys it.
1 person likes this
@sephrenia (567)
•
27 Sep 07
hey vicki!
Thats what im kind of hoping. I know that the computer industry can make you lots of money but i dont want to push him at it which is why i concentrate on getting his schoolwork done so that it doesnt become a chore to be on the computer. Thankyou for replying!
@bizmom (515)
• United States
26 Sep 07
well congrats!!
seems u have a prodogy on ur hands :)XX
5 years old and doing things on there that even I cant do! :) X WOOHOO!!
well its a delicate line really - u dont want to BOGhim down with too much ADULT *boring* stuff and yet u dont want him to get BORED at school or home doing the Mundane
what i would do .. is ASK him! if he wants to try a class maybe a small one in he community then go from there if hes bored there try someplace different - keep challanging his mind tho...
too many kids drop out of school being labeled * problem children* when in actuality they are BORED - their NOT being challanged enough so they quit seeing how NOONE else cares enough to SEE IT and label it for what it is!! :(
VERY VERY SMART!!
Talented.. GOING PLACES! ( if challanged and feed more!!)
Good luck
and dont forget he IS only 5 play time is essential :) playmates and socailizing too :) XX
XX :)
1 person likes this
@sephrenia (567)
•
27 Sep 07
Hi there! thankyou for replying!
I don't think he would be labelled as a problem kid, he's pretty good at concentrating on his work lol, its just he wants to use the computer a lot and i think that sometimes it makes it harder for him to write out stuff at school when he finds it so much easier to type.
I will definitely keep an eye on it though to make sure he doesnt get bored with it! Thankyou for the advice!
@SViswan (12051)
• India
29 Sep 07
Well, from what I understand..he plays outside, finishes homework before he uses the computer and is quite a responsible kid.
As long as everything is under control and the computer isn't ruling his life and he's getting enough physical exercise, I don't see any harm in leting him play on the computer.
But he definitely needs to be monitered (time as well as content).
If he really is a whiz in computers (and he must be if people at his school think so), maybe you can check out a few classes. I don't know about classes in England...but in India, there are classes that cater to kids and make them enjoyable. So, they don't feel that they are learning. Maybe you need to see how the classes are before you decide to enroll him.
1 person likes this
@PacificChief (123)
• United States
27 Sep 07
Unless you introduce him to other hobbies,he will be called a NERD as he matures,but don't worry another kid was called that and he dident turn out to bad,his name is Bill Gates.
@sephrenia (567)
•
27 Sep 07
hi there.
I dont think he will be called a nerd, he has other interests too (I will kill the next person that buys him a book that makes noises!). He is very artistic and he loves to play with his other friends so hes getting other things to do that balance out the screentime.
saying that i think i could probably live with it if he became the next bill gates bwahahahah!
Thanks again!
@PacificChief (123)
• United States
27 Sep 07
Unless you introduce him to other hobbies,he will be called a NERD as he matures,but don't worry another kid was called that and he dident turn out to bad,his name is Bill Gates.
@lunodragon (41)
• United States
27 Sep 07
Well hopefully what I say could help. Without the gaming undustry (especially computers) we would not be as advanced today in this world. Also I see that the world will be changing to use computers a ton, so a lot of comp experience is great for your son to have. I only wish I could have been more experienced like that when I was his age. As for the college class, i'm personally taking some and to me they seem like more of fun time than a class. Sometimes it's hard to get things done on time, and sadly I dont have the programs to work at home or even a computer good enough to run the programs. If you do decide to include him in the classes, make sure your able to afford the programs just in case. Sadly i'm in the US so I dont know much about England and can't help there, but give it a try, if he starts getting distracted, try to give a little shove towards what the class needs done, but dont force because then it could hinder his enjoyment of computers a little bit. If he still gets even more distracted and doesn't want to, then just take him out and maybe try it when he's 10 and even more experienced.
1 person likes this
@owstalaga (4707)
• Philippines
26 Sep 07
Well i wish my parents had the time and money to help me nurture my computer talents when i was around your son's age... ^_^
Anyway, I think it's okay to let your child enroll in computer classes. This'll let him develop skills he might or will need when he grows up. Maybe he'd be an expert something. If at some point in his teen years or in college he'd like to take up something else not related to computers well then he'd be a very valuable person indeed since he'd have a lot of skills to use, much like knowing another language. ^_^ Just don't let him be too geeky or nerdy.
It wouldn't hurt to try and let him have some computer classes. If he finds it too strict or boring or makes him lose interest, you can let him finish the classes then stop. If he changes his mind in a few years you could just enroll him again if you can or want to.
It's great that you let him play and tidy up his room and stuff like that. He won't be too much of a computer addict at an early age. ^_^
1 person likes this
@sephrenia (567)
•
26 Sep 07
Hey there!
Thankyou so much for replying to this discussion. Your right in that I dont want him to be a complete geek lol, I want him to have interaction with others his age so that he gets the social skills he will need as he gets older.
Thankyou as well for pointing out that he can always stop the classes if he doesnt like them too much, I'd forgotten I could do that.
@sephrenia (567)
•
26 Sep 07
Hey there :)
Thanks for the reply. What would you suggest I could do to improve his talent? I wouldnt want him wasting it any more than I would want him to be using it too much right now. Are there any sites that are good for kids who have talent at IT?
Thanks again for replying!
