Daddy Talk

When I was a kid it was kind of a big deal to get a gift -- a little RC car, or train or squirt gun. They cost my parents real dollars but I'm pretty sure I didn't treat them with much reverence past the first week or so.

I remember getting my first computer when I was around 12. It was an Apple compatible -- so not really an Apple -- and could do 90 percent of what other Apples could do. It just couldn't do that last bit. Anyway, it helped me through Junior high school and was actually pretty great. It also cost a good deal of money for my parents. I remember dusting it every day and generally treating it pretty well. It was portable -- in that it had a carry handle and weighed 20 pounds.

I bring this up because I see parents on a regular basis handing over these marvelous little computers to their kids, cell phones and tablet computers. Usually they come free or cost a little bit so it may not seem like much, but in some cases when you break one of these guys and have to replace them, it's a bit of a shock as the replacement cost for these phones is sometimes $400 dollars. An iPad can cost upwards of $600. It's pretty nuts when you sit and really think about. You are handing over these little dynamo computers to kids, babies even. I know. I've handed over my iPhone to my 1-year-old to watch "Timmy Time" so that the adults could talk during dinner.

On the face of it, I worry about the kid chucking it out the window and having to replace it, but on the other hand, I really worry about when my kid gets old enough to appreciate or not appreciate things. Will it matter to him or will he be like a lot of kids who just have them replaced regardless of what happens? I suppose that depends on us and how we deal with him.