WAKE-UP CALL: YOUTUBE IS NOT A BABYSITTER PLUS ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR KIDS

Joining the bandwagon and I would like to share my sentiments. I know a lot of you are familiar sa viral news about Momo Challenge, Blue Whale Challenge, Peppa Pig videos and so on last week. Madami tayong nabasang articles, testimonials about it. But Youtube and Google claimed na HOAX lang sya. Na-fake news lang daw tayo. What do you think?

I for one, read articles, mga comments ng parents who actually saw and watch these challenges. But why claimed hoax? Because it's a money-making industry. Imagine if lahat mag uninstall ng Youtube e d wala ng kita sila. At the end of the day business is business and money, matters.

I have nothing against watching on Youtube. Sa totoo lang we allow Isha to watch her favorite videos, but honestly, after all these news came out, I consciously and trying to lessen her screen time.

I don't want to elaborate more on Momo challenge and other challenges. Sa dami ng nagpost sa social media, you can do your own research if it's true or not. I actually hide photos of Momo whenever nadadaanan ko sya sa newsfeed ko sa Facebook. Super scary kasiiii!!!! Imagine, I was finishing my draft at almost 3am the other day tapos nagcheck ako ng FB and si Momo una kong nakita. Waaaaahhhh!!!! Madami din akong nabasang status requesting people to stop sharing the photo. Scary nga naman kasi. If tayong adult natatakot how much more yung mga bata, d ba?

Anyway, ang alam ko lang about it is they will challenge you to do something very bad. And if hindi mo nasunod yun, something bad will happen to you or to your family. They will come after you, too. I've read a lot of testimonials and most of them swore na totoo sya. The other day kasi Youtube and Google denied na meron lumalabas. In my opinion, I wouldn't disregard them as hoax. Pwede kasing i-downplay sya as not to create panic worldwide. Imagine if lahat ng affected parents will stop using YT. I've read as far as European countries na sobrang affected with this. They even have proof of evidence who committed suicide because of these challenges. Hindi lang mga bata ang affected, most especially sa mga teens. They start chatting with you, challenging you and scaring you to finish the task.

Kaya very important talaga to spend time with our family. I see this viral issue as an eye-opener to parents. A wake up call na hindi babysitter ang gadgets. Honestly, guilty ako. I'm a SAHM (stay at home mom), but my day is full with house chores, online work, raket, etc. On weekdays kami lang ni Isha sa house until ate Sofi goes home from school. Ayaw ni Isha nakikita nyang may hawak akong phone, lol! Kinukuha nya or inaawat nya from my hands. Ayaw nyang hawak ko phone ko pag nagplay kami. If I need a minute or two to check my FB, IG, I give her the iPad and let her watch for awhile. Kaso mo, minsan late ko na narerealize na iba na pala ang language ng pinapanood nya. She was watching an unboxing of 2 girls in a different language. Ok lang sana yun kaso naisip ko baka confusing kay Isha to learn na makapagsalita. Meron pa akong narinig na iyak ng iyak na baby but instead of comforting the baby, parang tinatawanan pa nila kasi cute daw. As young as Isha's age marunong na sya mag navigate ng iPad. She already knows the icon of YT, she knows how to swipe until makapili sya ng papanoorin nya and she knows where to press play. She even know how to skip ad. I would say smart girl, right? Pero it's also a wake up call for us parents how she can easily explore the online world.

It made me realize na ginawa kong babysitter ang YT. Kaya this week, I bought books, toys, activities para instead of giving the iPad right away, ibibigay ko muna yung mga books and toys para maging busy sya but also for us parents to join her in playing and reading.

There are a lot of activities that we can give to our toddlers. Mag iinvest ka lang talaga and of course, kalat sya. Pero toddlers are not picky when it comes to entertainment e. Tayong parents ang picky with brands of toys (guilty ako dito). There are a lot of toys na ok without the high price tag. Sobrang dali nilang magsawa kaya we can buy toys for temporary joy. A simple lutu-lutuan, ball, puzzles. If you'll check my photos, saka ko lang narealize na iisang book lang binabasa ni Isha, lol! Kaya I'm sure there are other ways that you can think of before you get your gadgets and let your kids play/watch. 

Nakakabasa nga ako na sana mabalik daw yung mga laro na nilalaro natin nung bata bata pa tayo, like chinese garter, hula hoop, pick-up sticks, habulan, patintero. So what stopping us? Kasi easy solution ang gadget. Kasi in order for our children to do the actual play, need ng participation natin or kalaro. Kaso what if ang kalaro e gadgets din ang hawak? Kaya sana maging wake up call sa ating mga parents na if we want to change our routine, sa atin mag uumpisa. We show our kids the actual play.

There are a lot of indoor playground to bring our kids. Ang laki din so they can explore and move around. Madami din activities. We spent 1.5 hours inside Kidzoona and ang saya. Kahit si Sofi na 12 na nag enjoy din sya.

I know messy sya and in Isha's case mas madaming color sa kamay nya kesa sa actual paper. Haha! Pero it's one of the activities that will never fail to give you fun. Make sure lang na yung water color, crayons na gagamitin ni bagets is not made of toxic materials.

And lastly, go out! Bring your kids to playground, parks. Play, explore! I'm 100% sure hindi lang si bagets ang mag eenjoy. Pati tayong mga parents ay magbebenefit dito.

I'm not saying to totally ban watching YT or using gadgets. What I'm saying is, there are lots of alternative ways na pwedeng gawin ni bagets. We still allow Isha to watch YT. How? We download the videos and turn off the iPad wifi. Para hindi na din sya makapag explore. I also downloaded Netflix and Disney Life para she can still watch cartoons with my consent.

Whatever you do, do it as a family. Make time for your children. Have an open communication with them. Hindi dapat sila matakot mag-open up. Let's show them that they can come to us. Tayo ang una nilang pupuntahan if something is bothering them, they want to share something. Kahit paulet ulet, kahit nonsense. Let them feel that we're always there for them.

And of course, always pray. Pray for our kids. Pray for the protection of our family. The enemy is aggressive to steal, to kill and to destroy our family. I know God will never leave us nor forsake us. Kaya as parents, let's dedicate ourselves in protecting our family.

Feel free to share your tips on how we can bond more with our family.