My dad is visiting this week (whilst my 3 kids are on holidays) but he is CONSTANTLY on Twitter, I mean literally with his phone or ipad, he takes it to the kitchen with him, to the table wherever he goes (not the toilet though!)
For me this would not be a problem but for my kids I feel it is, they are 4,6,8 and they dont have any access to twitter/FB and in the holidays they only watch 1 movie a day - this is actually really hard for me, it would be so easy to just let them watch TV, whilst I got on with all the house jobs but Id rather them play and got on with making their own fun.
The kids are constantly trying to engage him -can we do this, can we do that? and its always 'in a minute' until they lose interest asking or he watches them play a board game/puzzle WHILST on twitter :msnmad: or he will just puts the TV on for them.
yesterday I took my older 2 kids skating, the youngest wanted to stay with granddad, I thought she maybe left to watch a movie so I gave him a shopping list so she would have something to do...when I got back , she was just taking her coat off and I said where have you been? she said the Speilplatz (outside our house) but I got board with no one to push me on the swing, it turns out my dad watched her from the balcony!!! she has never been out by herself...
I just dont get it, I mean I have my own FB account and I spend a lot of time checking stuff out on the computer whilst the kids create havoc around me, but I am with them 24/7. My dad is visiting for a week and only sees them a couple of times a year.
When the 2 big ones were little (pre Twitter/FB) he was the best granddad, took them places, made up games, constantly engaged them and it was wonderful to see, but now all that seems to have gone since he has retired and found Twitter.
What should I do? I have mentioned ' Dad! put down the ipad' in a jesty tone, and a few other comments and suggested games/things to do but I dont feel comfortable really saying, 'your missing out on your grand kiddies for people you only communicate with on the net' I dont want to start a fight, and also he is ihs own person who am I to stop him doing something he enjoys?......I thought this problem was the the other way around???
any advice???
For me this would not be a problem but for my kids I feel it is, they are 4,6,8 and they dont have any access to twitter/FB and in the holidays they only watch 1 movie a day - this is actually really hard for me, it would be so easy to just let them watch TV, whilst I got on with all the house jobs but Id rather them play and got on with making their own fun.
The kids are constantly trying to engage him -can we do this, can we do that? and its always 'in a minute' until they lose interest asking or he watches them play a board game/puzzle WHILST on twitter :msnmad: or he will just puts the TV on for them.
yesterday I took my older 2 kids skating, the youngest wanted to stay with granddad, I thought she maybe left to watch a movie so I gave him a shopping list so she would have something to do...when I got back , she was just taking her coat off and I said where have you been? she said the Speilplatz (outside our house) but I got board with no one to push me on the swing, it turns out my dad watched her from the balcony!!! she has never been out by herself...
I just dont get it, I mean I have my own FB account and I spend a lot of time checking stuff out on the computer whilst the kids create havoc around me, but I am with them 24/7. My dad is visiting for a week and only sees them a couple of times a year.
When the 2 big ones were little (pre Twitter/FB) he was the best granddad, took them places, made up games, constantly engaged them and it was wonderful to see, but now all that seems to have gone since he has retired and found Twitter.
What should I do? I have mentioned ' Dad! put down the ipad' in a jesty tone, and a few other comments and suggested games/things to do but I dont feel comfortable really saying, 'your missing out on your grand kiddies for people you only communicate with on the net' I dont want to start a fight, and also he is ihs own person who am I to stop him doing something he enjoys?......I thought this problem was the the other way around???
any advice???