Patrick and the iPhone

So my oldest son Patrick downloaded 40 some odd dollars worth of games to my iPhone the other day. Those of you that know me best can only imagine the mood that put me in. Pat is so damn smart and I'm not saying that because I am a proud dad I'm saying that because he is beyond his years. What they consider toys and what I considered toys as a kid are so far apart it's scary. If you are a parent today of children 5 and up...constantly change your passwords to everything. I should have learned my lesson when Pat used my credit card on the Lego site...or if I thought that was a fluke I should have learned when he wasn't feeling the pasta being cooked for dinner and went on line for a little take out...and he got everyone's favorites! But this knack for working out my credit card is an ominous foreshadowing of his future teen years. You can order everything on-line. Think about the power you could have had if you were a kid again today and knew the folks credit card info. Wowza!

All my favorite things I loved as a kid seem so caveman today compared to what my kids like. Try comparing our video game systems to what kids have today...I remember trading cards with my friends not wii games. Hell we even looked forward to Sunday mornings to watch cartoons (with epic psa's by the way) and my kids can watch cartoons whenever they want...even tivo some.

The more I think about the world we live in today and the things kids are attracted too I look for creative ways to protect my credit and try to get my kids to have a good childhood. I know I can't force my old (and looking back - dangerous) favorites on them but I want them to have a mix of modern stuff and old fashioned fun stuff. I guess all we can do is keep trying to reign them in from today's technological landscape and try to provide them with the happiest childhood we can. Although Patrick's childhood might be short lived if he keeps finding ways to feed his habit.

Until next time...