Down with portable DVD players

[DVCsince02]

I wish this thread would die already!!!

 

[katerkat]

I love the comments about watching the scenery out of the car windows. How many of us have driven through the Florida panhandle?? What do you see out of the window? Well, let's see, there are pine trees and, wow, more pine trees and look over there, more pine trees!! BO-RING! And how can we forget the drive south on I-75 with the lovely billboards advertising the nudie bars? Opens up aaaallll kinds of interesting dialogue with the kids.

Nah, you need to try Montana and Wyoming. Look, it's so flat, I can see Colorado!

 

[brymolmom]

Actually, there really aren't more "bad guys" out there today. According to FBI crime statistics, there is less violent crime today than there was 30 years ago, when most of us were running around outside until the street lights came on. The number of children abducted by strangers has remained about the same for many years - between 120 and 140. Of course, it is an unimaginable tragedy for those children and their families. However, there are millions of children in the U.S., so the risk to your child is incredibly tiny.

I am in no way a freak about my kids' safety - I was the youngest of 5 so I was given total freedom and tend to tip toward more freedom for my kids than others their age in my area. BUT...I am a firm believer in the fact that you can spin statistics to look any way you desire. I haven't researched the FBI crime statistics but I'm pretty certain that a government agency would never put statistics out there for public viewing that look like there is an over-abundance of crime - it would lead to more people staying in, hurting the economy more, etc. SO, while I might agree that there aren't bad guys on every corner - I'm guessing that the FBI makes it look as favorable as possible. And BTW- most crimes are not done by strangers, so it is not actually the strangers I'm most worried about....

 

[rwrocksme]

I think that portable DVD players are great when they are not overused. For any long car ride, they are great. However, my aunt has one in her car for each of my cousins, who are 9 and 10, and have no problems with being in the car, and they use them for even the 5 minute ride to the groccery store. That, IMHO, is excess.

However, I have a seperate problem with portable DVD players. We have owned 3, and each one broke within a few weeks!!! So, we use the iPod for movies instead. Of course, that means we've seen Monsters, Inc. 500, 000 times...but hey, you can always use a good scream!

 

[flipflop]

We have triplets who are on the cusp of turning three. We are driving to WDW in Dec. You can bet your tushy that we will be using the DVD player in our minivan. Portable DVD players have their place and we don't let our kids watch the player in our van unless the car ride is over an hour and a half. My biggest gripe with portable DVD players is with adults who use them on airplanes without earphones.

 

[5 for WDW]

I have three kids. 10,8 and 4.
They are very active kids involved in a lot of extra activities. Little League, Boy/Cub Scouts, school band, Ballet and Tap, etc.
I am a SAHM and devote my days and evenings to them. (Thankfully, I get some down time at 8pm when they go to sleep! ) My husband is a 911 Dispatcher. That makes us a one income family.
They love to read, color and sketch. We do puzzles, take hikes, go to the beach and ball games.
They also go out to dinner with us and we are quite proud of how well they behave.

All that being said...

We have a DVD player that came installed in our Suburban. The watch movies or play Scene It in the car on any trips longer then 2 hours.
We have a portable DVD player that makes every plane trip with us to WDW. My 4 year old daughter watches that, for our sanity and for those around us.
My sons' play their Ds's on the plane or, listen to their iPod's. They each have one.
We have to have Captain's chairs in the middle row of our truck so that my middle son and my daughter are not sitting next to each other or, they will argue about who was looking at who. Of course, the two boys can't sit next to each other either. That will result in who was touching who.
They are great kids but, they can get bored too. Nice things do not happen when they are bored. So, we let them watch a movie or play a game.

One of my sister's puts her DVD player on the second her kids are strapped in the truck. It may not be right for my family but, it works for hers. Who am I to judge??? We all do what we feel is right for our family. I know I am a good parent. DVD player, iPod's, Nintendo's and all.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Let me first say that this post if not DIRECTED at anyone. I'm not writing it based on any *particular* thread on the subject (though I have seen many), but rather was triggered by some things I saw this weekend.

What I want to say is. I think Portable DVD players and in-car DVD players are such a horrible creation.[/QUOTE]

Silly to blame a tool.

They only serve as a way to "shut the kids up", and the undermine the family time that you get to spend together. Mostly they're used in cars, which these days of double-income families, is one of the precious little time that parents get to spend with their kids.

Broad brush generalization.

When I was young, my mother was a house-wife, and she spend all day with us ...every day. She never needed to sit us in front of a movie for an hour and half....and we spent our time in the car TALKING. What wonderful memories (even the memories where i was getting in trouble). There's no replacement for that!

Have you asked her whether she would have liked one so that she didn't have to talk to you all of the time? It is wearing to entertain 24/7. Have you done a lot of that? I homeschool, and my kids are with me all of the time. I loved it when they were old enough to grab a book and read for hours on end. Or is that bad, too? Since we aren't interacting per your definition.

I've read about people bringing these devices on their disney trip to use on the airplanes or in the hotel room, and I just dont understand it AT ALL. It's vacation, and its such a great opportunity to spend "down time" with kids....it should be taken advantage of.

When they were young, I'd rather my kids watch a video on vacation than flip channels at a hotel. Or don't you ever watch TV on vacation?

 

[PaulaSue]

I love ours for long trips no matter what anyone says!