We feel that, due to the ease and number of ways that unsuitable information can be presented to our children on the Internet, computers should not be in our childrens bedrooms - they are used in common areas where usage can be monitored.
We don't hover, but they ask before they go somewhere other than normal - clicking links and such. My wife and I help with searches to ensure that inapprpropriate links are not followed.
The kids (12, 5, and 2) regularly compete for time on the machines (although we have 4 PCs, they don't like the laptops...) to play reading and math games.
Our kindergardener is reading and sounding out big words and recognizing smaller words better every day. Reader Rabbit seem to be a benefit, in my opinion.
So, to summarize in a couple of pity quotes... It's not what you have but how you use it - and too much of anything is not healthy.
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We feel that, due to the ease and number of ways that unsuitable information can be presented to our children on the Internet, computers should not be in our childrens bedrooms - they are used in common areas where usage can be monitored. We don't hover, but they ask before they go somewhere other than normal - clicking links and such. My wife and I help with searches to ensure that inapprpropriate links are not followed. The kids (12, 5, and 2) regularly compete for time on the machines (although we have 4 PCs, they don't like the laptops...) to play reading and math games. Our kindergardener is reading and sounding out big words and recognizing smaller words better every day. Reader Rabbit seem to be a benefit, in my opinion. So, to summarize in a couple of pity quotes... It's not what you have but how you use it - and too much of anything is not healthy.