Making sock animals

I’ve heard this is supposed to be really popular right now.
But I wonder if it’s really a good idea right before Christmas—what kid wants a sock animal for Christmas when the other kids are getting a new iPhone?
Oh well. You can’t have everything.
For example, here’s a sewn sock animal:
http://www.familie.de/diy/frosch-sockentier-naehen-538729.html
I guess you get the idea. Take an old sock and start crafting with it to make something cute. Does anyone here actually do this?

I’ve made snowmen out of cozy socks and given them as gifts to some dear friends. It’s a nice decoration idea—whether it’s suitable as a gift for a child probably depends on the child.....

Best wishes,
Michaela

That’s right, as a little gift now and then, it’s certainly a good idea.

@ muetzekatze :)

I have 3 children, and I honestly don’t really care what other children get. Whether it’s the neighbor’s boy or someone in their class or wherever. My youngest is 9 and the only one in his class who doesn’t have a cell phone (smartphone!!) yet. And I still think that’s a good thing; he won’t be getting one anytime soon either :)

I think everyone should know their own child and therefore decide whether little animals like that are something for them or not :) I think the idea is great and would make something like that right away, but my little one mainly plays with Lego and Playmobil, and he would like it less ;(

Warmly
Lesandria

@Lesandria
I think kids will learn—and need—to deal with all that computer stuff early enough. Professionally, you usually can’t avoid that kind of thing anymore.
That’s why they should simply be allowed to be kids for a while—go outside, play outside, have a completely normal childhood, without too much TV, too much internet, or too much smartphone use.
I believe that you shouldn’t completely ban TV, the internet, or smartphones for kids; instead, I’m in favor of introducing them to these things cautiously and under supervision. Teach them how to use them sensibly—and that sometimes you have to leave the internet alone and go play outside in the sun. If the weather’s bad, you can always go online. But I don’t have kids, so it’s easy for me to talk about this or come up with ideas on how to handle responsible internet use.
When I was little, there was no internet. Well, I guess the internet did exist, but it wasn’t anything like it is today. Back then, everything was somehow different. It’s really amazing how much has changed in just 25–30 years. Back then, no one would have imagined that today people would be walking around with a portable phone (that can do more than a PC from back then) and, because they’re so engrossed in their smartphones, might just barely avoid crashing into a streetlight. Or things like everyone sitting at the table, no one talking to each other because they’re all busy with their smartphones.

Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple, is said not to have allowed his children to have either a smartphone or a tablet.

I always find it pretty intense when you’re standing at the bus stop around the time school lets out and then they all pull their iPhones out of their pockets. And whoever doesn’t have an iPhone just has a smartphone with a big screen from another manufacturer. I mean, these are kids and teens—they should normally be talking to each other, laughing, telling jokes, etc., and not constantly staring at their phones.
Personally, I think it’s too much, too soon, but oh well. Many parents apparently see it differently and allow it—or buy the device for their child and pay the monthly bills.
I’d just be worried that photos might be taken that end up online where they don’t belong. You hear about cyberbullying and stuff like that all the time. Kids and teens in particular might not yet have the mental maturity to fully grasp all of this.

I read somewhere about a study that says the ability to write by hand suffers if you only ever take notes on your phone or computer. That’s an important motor skill that you absolutely need in everyday life and later in your professional career. Plus, there are more and more studies suggesting that the brain suffers when you spend a lot of time on Facebook and the like. Not to mention that pictures and stories on social media platforms are often embellished or edited with Photoshop anyway, which could lead to a somewhat distorted view of reality. If you ever get to the point where you can’t even write a shopping list by hand anymore, then you’ve got a real problem—but I really hope it doesn’t have to come to that.

But on the other hand, there’s always that peer pressure to want to have or do what everyone else has or does. That’s especially important for kids, at least before they reach the age where individuality becomes a factor—but that comes later. So if everyone else has a smartphone and you’re left out, that can be pretty unpleasant.

I mean, that peer pressure exists for “older” people, too. I’m in my mid-30s now and have pretty much distanced myself from all the tech gadgets. When I was younger, I liked having and trying out tech stuff, but these days it’s just too much. I mean, if you want to stay up to date with all the tech gadgets, you’d practically have to sleep at the electronics store and constantly buy the latest phone. Of course, you also need a constant connection to the App Store.
And these days, nobody says “I think that’s great” anymore—they just say “like,” like on Facebook. Not everyone all the time, but it happens pretty often.

I really feel like I’ve become kind of old-fashioned by now. But I also don’t want to keep up with all this technological “progress”—I wouldn’t even call it progress, because it just causes more stress for people when they have to be glued to their phones all day. Do you guys remember those annoying Tamagotchis? Those little virtual pets you had to feed, or else they’d get grumpy and then die? They don’t exist anymore—nobody needs them—but now we have cell phones that you have to keep entertained 24\/7, around the clock.

But anyway, that’s just my take on the subject, and I’m sure everyone has their own opinion on it. I mean, you can’t escape technology—it’s only going to increase, not decrease. So you just have to live with it, but I think it’s especially important for kids to learn how to use it responsibly.