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Childs first Computer - iMac or Macbook?
- Thread starter md63
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All I said is once your over 18, you are the one responsible for your actions soley
I just merely agreed with your self assessment
Maybe next time dont post it huh?
Apparently you don't understand sarcasm.
From Merriam Webster Online-
Don
yes im not 14 btw.
Hey u know no body is perfect. we all make mistakes. just because ur brain "is fully developed" dosnt make ur decision making any better. i have known many early teens that are much wiser then many many adults i have known/seen.
but the point is that also it is a learning experience. without being faced with choices, kids wont learn how to make them.
An adult can build up a buffer against the consequences of his actions. A child is at the mercy of the benevolence of his parents, and will never again have a more receptive brain or so much time for learning. Thus the older you are, the less you feel the consequences of your current actions.
Actually the Microcenter deals are for the current models. White Macbook and base iMac. ($200 rebate off each.)
oh i understand it but why you opened yourself up to someone agreeing by typing that is beyond me
Kids can't be trusted. We filter all Internet traffic, completely block all social networking sites, IM protocols, monitor all telephone, e-mail and text messaging, search all bags, purses, lojack clothes and backpacks, drive them to and from school/activities, never allow them to attend any function without parent present and arm the alarm system every evening and keep the code secret.
So long as rebellion is deferred until they are 30 I'm fine with that.
Cheers,
hey dukebound85? when did u start driving with your parents? 15?
how bout on your own? 16?
its kinda like that.
when your 15, your parents might say,"we want you to drive, and we want to trust you, so show us. but we have to be with you when u do."
but when you are 16, they might say"we have seen you be responsible when driving with us and we trust you will make the right decision while driving".
when you were 15, its a learning experience for when you are 16.
anyone else like my analogy?
how bout on your own? 16?
its kinda like that.
when your 15, your parents might say,"we want you to drive, and we want to trust you, so show us. but we have to be with you when u do."
but when you are 16, they might say"we have seen you be responsible when driving with us and we trust you will make the right decision while driving".
when you were 15, its a learning experience for when you are 16.
anyone else like my analogy?
but its the parents job to teach them responsibility. if parents did that, the would would be a much much better place.
Either one will work. You can always buy an inexpensive external monitor and a keyboard, mouse, etc., and set it up in the family room. And then unplug it and take it to the park, or a museum, or school. Mobility is good for learning.
I am 43 years old, and have two children, ages 12 and 11. There's no magic answers to the questions posed in this thread, about trust and privacy. Spend time with your daughter, know her friends (and their families), and share her interests, and it won't matter which computer you get.
An iMac or Macbook for a 5 year old?
Sorry, that is overkill for a child. Children have no concept of value, so an expensive computer has the potential to be ruined, regardless of how careful you think your child is. I worry about my own 6 year old around my iMac, and the thought of my child owning the very system I use day in, day out comes across as spoiling for spoiling sake.
I would suggest shopping around for an older iMac, perhaps a G4 or G5. As for a notebook, that's just asking to be dropped.
Sorry, that is overkill for a child. Children have no concept of value, so an expensive computer has the potential to be ruined, regardless of how careful you think your child is. I worry about my own 6 year old around my iMac, and the thought of my child owning the very system I use day in, day out comes across as spoiling for spoiling sake.
I would suggest shopping around for an older iMac, perhaps a G4 or G5. As for a notebook, that's just asking to be dropped.
If its ONLY for the child (and not a shared family computer that the child will have access to), get a G4 eMac. Those things are nearly indestructible! Plus, if she spills something, all you have to do is get a new keyboard/mouse, not a whole new machine (like the Macbook).
(Not to the OP...)
As for a child's unsupervised computer use, that's just crazy! I'm an elementary school teacher and you'd be quite surprised how quickly my 1st graders can get off onto other websites, etc., if I don't VERY CLOSELY monitor what they're doing. Enable parental controls on the Mac AND filter by keywords on your router. Double security is well worth it protect your child. For that matter, I wouldn't be turning loose a middle school-aged child on the Internet unsupervised. And even a high schooler would have content filtering (to block porn, etc.). And no, I don't have kids (yet), but I've been teaching for 7 years at all different levels.
(Not to the OP...)
As for a child's unsupervised computer use, that's just crazy! I'm an elementary school teacher and you'd be quite surprised how quickly my 1st graders can get off onto other websites, etc., if I don't VERY CLOSELY monitor what they're doing. Enable parental controls on the Mac AND filter by keywords on your router. Double security is well worth it protect your child. For that matter, I wouldn't be turning loose a middle school-aged child on the Internet unsupervised. And even a high schooler would have content filtering (to block porn, etc.). And no, I don't have kids (yet), but I've been teaching for 7 years at all different levels.
Go for the iMac, put on some filtering aswell just in case she goes onto a site by accident. The iMac would be good fun for the family to use aswell!
my family didnt have a computer that had a color screen and could get on internet until 2000 (it was an imac and i was 15 at the time). we had an apple ll or something before with like a 9inch screen. typing reports on that was fun haha
i didnt buy my own computer (an emac 1ghz) until i was 18 when i went off to college
I've been lucky in the regard that I've had a computer in my room since I was 6 years old. It ran Windows 95, and all it used for was a few games. My parents had no problem letting me use their computer to get on the internet once I was about 10 or so. I'm sure they checked the internet history, but I was usually alone in the room I was using the computer in.
I also know people are going to think less of this comment because I'm not yet an adult myself, being only 16. But I do have to agree with Don a bit here. I know there are kids out there who will misuse the computer if left to their own choices, but like he said, you can check the internet history and whatnot.
The only problem I can see with this is when the kids get older and learn how to hide what they've been doing from their parents. But the way I see it, they would do that anyway if they were on their parents computer as well. The solution presented to that problem is having the computer in a room where the parents can see what their child is doing. It's a very touchy area, because no teen wants their parents watching their every move, but the likely reason for that is because they know they're looking at and doing stuff they shouldn't.
You can either hover over your child and watch everything they do, possibly making them resent you (It's a possibility, everyone can admit that.) Or leave them on their own and let them do what they will.
I think technology has made it harder for parents to raise their kids right, and it's a real shame. Not much can be done about it, besides just not using it.
I also know people are going to think less of this comment because I'm not yet an adult myself, being only 16. But I do have to agree with Don a bit here. I know there are kids out there who will misuse the computer if left to their own choices, but like he said, you can check the internet history and whatnot.
The only problem I can see with this is when the kids get older and learn how to hide what they've been doing from their parents. But the way I see it, they would do that anyway if they were on their parents computer as well. The solution presented to that problem is having the computer in a room where the parents can see what their child is doing. It's a very touchy area, because no teen wants their parents watching their every move, but the likely reason for that is because they know they're looking at and doing stuff they shouldn't.
You can either hover over your child and watch everything they do, possibly making them resent you (It's a possibility, everyone can admit that.) Or leave them on their own and let them do what they will.
I think technology has made it harder for parents to raise their kids right, and it's a real shame. Not much can be done about it, besides just not using it.
Two years ago we found a 17" G4 iMac at the nearby university property disposition for $300. Perfect for our elementary school daughters. Two years later, still working fine for their needs.
exactly.
but it is still possible. why is it that we are here, on macrumors, and not on some porn site or drug meet up site(do those even exist? {rhetorical question})?
its cause we have been taught to try and make good choices. they may not always be right, but we learn from the wrong ones.
ok i think we need to stop talking about this and go back to the OP's question.
I'm most likely missing something huge, but what's the worst that a 5 year old could possibly do in the internet?
"Ooooh me wanna see naked women!" *types into Google*
Leaving a 5 year old alone with a computer isn't going to cause any harm. Maybe in a few years when she's older, but not now.
"Ooooh me wanna see naked women!" *types into Google*
Leaving a 5 year old alone with a computer isn't going to cause any harm. Maybe in a few years when she's older, but not now.
Or maybe they could wind up in Internet chat with a pedophile.
Certainly that is worth the risk of making them independant at age 5.