Ross: How far will we go to entertain our grandkids through a screen?
Feb 22, 2021, 7:47 AM | Updated: 9:37 am
The photographer's wife, son and daughter, Elisenda Canari, Joel and Julia, speak with their grandparents via videoconference during Julia's party on April 13, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Screen time – which used to be considered bad for young children – has become the only way for a lot of them to see their grandparents now.
And I’m here to testify it seems to work. The latest innovation is just to give the kid the phone. And – they get it! At age two! Heck, BEFORE age two. I know a 10-month-old who already instinctively poses when the phone comes out.
So, it’s in the genes. Evolution has just been waiting for this moment.
But the pressure can be intense. Because unless Grandpa is at least as entertaining as the nearby toys, the phone might suddenly cut to a picture of the ceiling fan – which means you’ve been canceled!
That’s why I bring in Grandma as a special guest so she can do her fish lips, which is always a big hit.
But where do I draw the line? Do I resort to skipping a number on purpose while counting to 10, or even worse – using special effects and appearing as a talking cat?
No, I will not! I will stick to stuff I could pull off in person.
Because I used to hate it when I’d go to a concert and the songs sounded nothing like the record. So, I don’t want to show up and have the kid say, “Grandpa, how come you’re not a cat?”
No, I will keep it real.
However, I can make pencil-toppers pop through my beard. Top that, Mr. Bun Bun.
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