Why Your Kids Absolutely, Positively Should NOT Own An iPod! [Archive]

Bear

Oct 18, 2004, 04:09 PM

An interesting argument no doubt, but shouldn't parents be able to control their kids behavior?

Link (http://www.parentingtaxi.com/index.php/parentingtaxi/more/why_your_kids_absolutely_positively_should_not_own_an_ipod/)Yes, parents should be able to control their kids, but I don't think enbough adults have parenting skills and maybe should've waited awhile longer before having kids.

But this probably should be in a different forum as it's not really a Mac or Apple issue.

Capt Underpants

Oct 18, 2004, 04:12 PM

I have an iPod, and I don't ignore my mom. I must be in the minority ;).

musicpyrite

Oct 18, 2004, 04:12 PM

Stupid.

It's a matter of parents needing to control their kids. Nothing more.

It's not the iPod's (or any mp3/cd player) fault that the kids won't listen to their parents, it's the parents and the kids.

Typical "blame it on everything else!!" motto.

AoWolf

Oct 18, 2004, 04:15 PM

This isn't a new problem kids have had portable music players for years.

Hemingray

Oct 18, 2004, 04:18 PM

This isn't a new problem kids have had portable music players for years.

Yeah, we should be blaming it on Sony and their accursed Walkman! :p

Vader

Oct 18, 2004, 04:20 PM

stoid,
Don't you own an iPod?

EGT

Oct 18, 2004, 04:22 PM

That is the biggest pile of ******** i've ever seen.

stoid

Oct 18, 2004, 04:24 PM

stoid,
Don't you own an iPod?

Absolutely! I love it. It's so very nice to use while I'm doing drawings and other art related projects for college. Too bad my campus uses Windows, or computers with FW for that matter, because it sure would come in handy for transferring projects between my laptop and campus computers rather than relying on CD/E-mail systems.

Besides, being almost 20 and living on my own, I'm hardly a kid.

If you want to get an iPod though, I wouldn't recommend showing this article to your parents. ;)

stcanard

Oct 18, 2004, 04:34 PM

Hmm, the tone of this article seemed very tongue in cheek to me, so I don't see the problem with it (the article).

crazzyeddie

Oct 18, 2004, 04:40 PM

The conclusion to the article made it sound more like a positive addition to their household than a negative. As for all the other problems, try giving that kid an iTunes allowance (very easy thanks to Apple) and making your kid take off the headphones while you talk to them... doesn't sound that difficult to me!

EGT

Oct 18, 2004, 04:57 PM

evil_santa

Oct 18, 2004, 05:00 PM

I remember it was the same story 25 years ago when the first walkmans came out. :D I use to listen to mine all the time then!

quagmire

Oct 18, 2004, 05:20 PM

You know this would of been the same situation if the mom bought the teen a dull DJ. So we would read the same article but, replace iPod with Dull Dj. Seriously, Parents can never blame themselves for not disciplining kids today. Blaming it on a product is a big time low.

earthtoandy

Oct 18, 2004, 05:40 PM

if the iPod is so powerful that parents will lose all control of their kids they must not be good parents in the first place. was this article out when walkmans were introduced? or the cd player? give me a break!

besides the iPod is more leaverage for the parent /.... something they can take away that will really make the kids ears perk up

p.s. listening to and enjoying music is bad. so is enjoying art!!! :mad:

Koodauw

Oct 18, 2004, 05:53 PM

if the iPod is so powerful that parents will lose all control of their kids...

But you what you dont realize is that in every iTMS song, if you play it backwards... you can hear Steve saying.... Buy an Apple Computer....

It's brainwashing the kids... NO NOT APPLE! ;)

iriejedi

Oct 18, 2004, 06:10 PM

There was a serious bit of sarchasm there (Oldies like Talking heads - hahahah) - I guess it was an article to mostly fill the need to write a story I suppose - but I sent it off to my brother in law who kids are begging for iPods - the title alone was enough to make me look - and it worked for you all - that is just good marketing for Parentingtaxi.com!

:-)

But you what you dont realize is that in every iTMS song, if you play it backwards... you can hear Steve saying.... Buy an Apple Computer....

It's brainwashing the kids... NO NOT APPLE! ;)

rainman::|:|

Oct 18, 2004, 06:17 PM

once again, my compadres at MR are correct. This article is a load of *********. But what can you expect from parents that visit sites like this? I'm not knocking all parenting sites, but come on... Anyway... the important thing to remember here is that people said the exact same thing about the Walkman, and that was 20 years ago-- a generation. So a generation of walkman kids have grown up, and the rivers and lakes haven't turned red with blood yet. He sounds like many teenagers I've known... perhaps she just didn't know what to expect? all in all, i don't see what she's fretting about. teens are supposed to have introverted phases, music doesn't cause that, it just facilitates it.

paul

stcanard

Oct 18, 2004, 06:26 PM

once again, my compadres at MR are correct. This article is a load of *********. But what can you expect from parents that visit sites like this? I'm not knocking all parenting sites, but come on...

Again ... read the article. Read some of the comments above.

This article is not serious. Just look at the tone, and see what they are saying.

I hope the people that seriously think this article is upsetting never watch The Daily Show. Their heads would probably explode.

Westside guy

Oct 18, 2004, 06:39 PM

Unbelievable. I would have thought the "tongue-in-cheekiness" of the article would be apparent to anyone and everyone - but only a very small number of posters caught it!

P.S. My 14-year-old daughter has an iPod, and I haven't seen any additional communications issues come from it. Matter of fact, she likes a lot of my "old" music (i.e. Nirvana).

Nermal

Oct 18, 2004, 06:47 PM

This article is a load of *********.

I'm amazed that the filter didn't get that :eek:

But I agree :D

MrMacMan

Oct 18, 2004, 07:02 PM

'Hey look everybody, the world is going to hell because of this crazy new device:
http://timeline.aps.org/images/posters/75_s3.jpg
The Walkman will doom us all!

Oh please.

Mechcozmo

Oct 18, 2004, 07:22 PM

'Hey look everybody, the world is going to hell because of this crazy new device:
http://timeline.aps.org/images/posters/75_s3.jpg
The Walkman will doom us all!

Oh please.

That thing is older than I am! :eek:

I love my iPod, but I never listen to it too loud (I am hypersensitive, anywhoo) and I actually have a nice relationship with my mom...

macdaddy23

Oct 18, 2004, 07:34 PM

Why do they feel that they need to blame it on iPod? I feel that's a bit unfair. Like most people here are saying why not bash the sorry MP3 players? Or Dell? I'm 16 and that iPod gets me through the day at high school. If I want to be left alone I tell people, not ignore them by blasting my music. I hardly ever listen to my iPod once I'm home. I walk in the door and set it on the charger for the next day. From the fist 3 sentences of that article I could tell that person was a moron. They could spend more time with there kids rather that cry about Apple's iPod and how it 'Destroyed the way Kids Listing To Parents'!!! HA HA HA. (Next years big million dollar movie) Point being, article is crap.

yellow

Oct 18, 2004, 07:51 PM

Just burn 'em with a cigarette, that'll get their attention (and keep it) every time.

kiwi-in-uk

Oct 18, 2004, 08:12 PM

And if the cigarette doesn't work, try a twist of the ear. :)

A few of you guys / girls seem to believe that MR is frequented only by <25.

Untrue.

Some of us are old, grey, and wrinkly.

Like Jagger, Bono, Barenboim, etc ...

And many of us who are close to turning up the toes actually enjoy some contemporary music - B.E.Peas, steriogram, etc. :D

I wear an iPod unless I am talking to someone or I am in a meeting (although most of the time in meetings I wish I was wearing one!)

I don't see what the problem is unless the kid (adult) is using it as a shield ...

macfreek57

Oct 18, 2004, 08:45 PM

it's a pretty harmless article. seems like most of you commenting on how stupid it is are not "reading to the end of the article," as some would call it.

the title is entirely sarcastic, and the article itself is more of a real-life commentary. discussional, even.

cb911

Oct 18, 2004, 08:49 PM

ha ha. yeah, i thought that article was a bit too light-hearted to be taken seriously. honestly - which parent wouldn't speak to their child (especially if they're living with them) for 10 months?

anyway, if that's a pic of Angie up the top of the page... well, a prefect model parent she is then. :rolleyes: smoking cigarretes (sp?) and all.

and what sort of site is that anyway? "Parenting Taxi"? if a person has a child, and doesn't know how to be a parent, well needless to say that they shouldn't have kids, but going to a cheesy two-bit site for guidance won't help matter either.

stoid, i really hope you weren't visiting that site for any sort of important information? :eek:

janey

Oct 18, 2004, 09:15 PM

mmm that article was nice :D
but what happens when the child's parents are just as obsessed with music as the child...i have a friend like that :D

But anyway...even if that article was negative, my parents really wouldn't have the right to make me like not listen to my iPod. After all, I've bought and/or sold every iPod that was in my possession. Not my parents. Me. I bought it with my own money, and I buy songs with my own money, et cetera. They take it away and they know I'll just retaliate with some nice Jay-Z or 50 Cent playing loudly on the living room speakers thanks to AirTunes, and if they unplug that, then really loud cacophonous sound coming from my room. Besides, I'd pause the song to listen to my parents.

The iPod is a welcome addition to my life, and a great stimulant when you're half asleep in a 2 hour math class and you can't stand the banal chattering going on next to you. Like today. Hehe. If it werent for the weird music on my iPod I really would have fallen asleep...and yes, I did get prior permission from my teacher to listen to it in class while working on the assignments :)

solvs

Oct 18, 2004, 10:04 PM

THIS IS A JOKE!!!

As if the guy in the dress and the comments blelow didn't give it away.

Mechcozmo

Oct 18, 2004, 11:22 PM

Some of us are old, grey, and wrinkly.

At least you don't smell...right?

cb911

Oct 18, 2004, 11:27 PM

THIS IS A JOKE!!!

As if the guy in the dress and the comments blelow didn't give it away.

... yeah. just like the whole site. but i think everyone knows that now. but anyway - THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION!!!

superninjagoat

Oct 18, 2004, 11:35 PM

Just burn 'em with a cigarette, that'll get their attention (and keep it) every time.

tehehe!

That article reads like the writer had a deadline to meet and nothing to write about. "Hey, I know, I'll blame my son's behavior toward me not on my poor parenting skills but on the white chords hanging from his ears. And whiplash. Yes, whiplash must have something to do with it."

s.n.goat

EDIT: ok, I'm a dumbass. Viewed from a satirical angle, it's almost amusing.

pianojoe

Oct 19, 2004, 12:43 AM

Unbelievable. I would have thought the "tongue-in-cheekiness" of the article would be apparent to anyone and everyone - but only a very small number of posters caught it!

Yeah, I was surprised, too. (And English isn't even my first language.)

stoid

Oct 19, 2004, 01:06 AM

Just for the record, I posted this article because it was linked from a news article I was reading about how the iPod was kicking the hind-quarters of every other player out there and I thought it an interesting coincidence. I don't think that the article is terribly accurate or even useful, but rather just a decent read.

solvs

Oct 19, 2004, 03:31 AM

but i think everyone knows that now.
You'd think...

THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION!!!
No problem. (I'm such a butt head) :p

virividox

Oct 19, 2004, 03:34 AM

thats retarded if a parent cant talk to their kid its not techs fault its a symptom of their relationship problems

solvs

Oct 19, 2004, 04:40 AM

thats retarded if a parent cant talk to their kid its not techs fault its a symptom of their relationship problems
Please tell me you're kidding.

Mord

Oct 19, 2004, 06:39 AM

she's a bad parent.

i dont use my ipod in my house if i want to listen to music i do so with speakers, me and my dads taste in music has a large crossover so it's ok, my ipod in an outdoor thing.

even if i did use it inside it certainly would not stop me talking to my dad if i wanted to, her kid dose not want to talk to her because all she ever dose is nag with lame flash cards.

solvs

Oct 19, 2004, 06:45 AM

she's a bad parent.
You're not kidding either, are you?

AmigoMac

Oct 19, 2004, 08:13 AM

My kid should not have an iPod ... he's 4! maybe he will get a 40 GB mini when he's 12 ;) and iBook.

wordmunger

Oct 19, 2004, 08:21 AM

zelmo

Oct 19, 2004, 09:00 AM

Just a (serious) word of advice if you ever get your kid an iPod. My 11-year-old daughter saved up and bought herself a green mini. I insisted on having it inscribed with her name and paid the extra myself for that feature. It's already paid for itself as she set it down in church the other day and someone picked it up. Who knows where it would have gone if it hadn't been inscribed -- it was returned to her within 10 minutes or so. We don't let her take her iPod just anywhere, but you'd think in CHURCH it would be safe!

We gave our daughter a 3G 15GB (engraved with her name/number) for Christmas last year, when she was 15. She has certainly treated it with far more care than any of the many CD or flash-based music players she has had in the past. When we gave it to her, I wasn't entirely convinced she wouldn't leave it lying around somewhere to have it pilfered, or treat it like a $30 portable CD player and break it. Let's just say she has a bad history with portable electronic devices.
If anything, I think the iPod has helped teach her to be more responsible. At sixteen, she has a job, a car, pays her own insurance, and is still doing well in school while remaining actively involved in both the band and the tech crew and working 20-25 hours.
The iPod has not had any detrimental effect on our relationship with her at all.

BTW, that article was so satirical that I can't believe anyone who read it thought it was legit.

stcanard

Oct 19, 2004, 04:34 PM

BTW, that article was so satirical that I can't believe anyone who read it thought it was legit.

Yeah, I've been thinking about that, and the conclusion I've come to is: who are we to try and get in the way of some good, solid teenage angst?

This thread appears to be a good spot for the younger amongst us to complain about the injustices parents foist upon them, and really has nothing to do with the article. Those of us on the other side of the fence have been trying to inject some balance where it is not really wanted.

macfreek57

Oct 21, 2004, 12:05 AM

…

This thread appears to be a good spot for the younger amongst us to complain about the injustices parents foist upon them, and really has nothing to do with the article.

…

good point, but it's also apparent from this thread how little people read the entire thread or the article (niether of which i necessarily frown upon, as macrumors.com has too much to read to try to follow every entire thread, beginning to end)
it's just good information to keep in mind whilst browsing.