Shouldn’t she be glad Grandma is getting him something fun and age-appropriate?

It’s wild to think that the Elder Gen-Zers are the last generation to go through early childhood without access to the internet. I will always cherish those years before I could Google anything, because once I could look up exactly what the characters on South Park were talking about, my childhood officially ended. 

When you’re a young kid, having access to endless websites and apps full of more information than you’ll ever be able to process isn’t the most critical factor in your development. When you’re 4, 5, or 6, developing motor skills is far more necessary than developing skills that can be self-taught on a tablet. A little kid’s ability to write their name is an important milestone. If a kid is entering 1st grade and can’t write their own name but can scroll through short-form videos for hours on end, there’s probably a problem with their parents’ priorities.

The thing about giving a loud, annoying kid an iPad or a video game to make them quiet is that it’s incredibly easy and convenient. Occupying a kid with screens is always going to be less messy than giving them a puzzle or paints, but it will hurt their development in the long run. A kid will learn so much more by playing with their hands because that is what kids are wired to do. Playing is their job, and robbing your children of the chance to play like kids, in favor of them playing like adults, will only hurt them in the long run. Adults can play video games without jeopardizing critical developmental milestones, but 4-year-olds can’t quite manage that. 

Most parents would be thrilled to hear that grandma is getting their toddler a toy instead of a video game console so he can have a few more years of being a kid before gaming takes over his life, but the mother in this story is not one of them.