Are iPads the answer to keeping the kids quiet when parents bring them along for a nice civilized dinner, or beer? FIPS blogger Erica Reitman told the NY Post, “I’ve been out to dinner several times recently where I noticed parents at nearby tables who had kids with iPads. Those little suckers did not make a peep all night. As far as I’m concerned, I’d like to ensure every child within the borders of Park Slope gets their own iPad, pronto!”
The paper notes there are plenty of kid-friendly apps, and a touch screen that a 2-year-old can figure out. The developer of the Infant Arcade series, Edwin Iskander of Jersey City, says his 2-year-old and 7-month-old love the apps!
But beware, the Post likens iPad-happy parental units to Betty Draper, whose parenting skills consist of chain smoking and telling the kids to sit in front of the television—and one parent recently told the NY Times, “We don’t let our toddler touch our iPhones... it takes away from creative play.” However, iPads are more interactive than, say, a mid-century television program, and earlier this year Babble's Strollerderby blog declared "the iPad is perfectly poised to become the must-have item to entertain—and even educate—bored kids." Yep, it's all fun and games until you realize this is the generation that Gattaca happens to.
