Posts with the computer tag

Barris Beat

Cellphone ban? Try discipline in sips.

Written by Ted Barris on . Leave a comment
Breaking cellphone addition. Photo – Business Insider.

When I was about 12, I had my first taste of alcohol. I guess my parents were breaking the law by allowing a minor to consume booze, but one Christmas when our extended family got together to celebrate at our house, my mother and father made a point of giving me a wine glass for what amounted to a couple of sips of the stuff.

“Merry Christmas!” we all toasted, and like the adults around the table, I was invited to clink my glass with theirs and enjoyed that first taste of alcohol.

From then on, it turned out, if I wanted a bit of wine with our family dinners, my parents always set the glass out for me. (more…)

Barris Beat

The pandemic politicians need to address

Written by Ted Barris on . Leave a comment
Unfettered playful interaction

A few weekends ago, my wife and I took in some of the grandsons for a sleepover. It was a chance for their parents to enjoy a summer getaway. It was a chance to wean the grandkids away from Mom and Dad. It was a chance for us to get better acquainted with a bunch of boys under our roof for two or three days. On the first day, we outlined an in-house rule.

“No iPhones, tablets or computers until after 4 p.m.,” I announced.

“That’s the curfew at home,” one of the boys said.

“Same rules here,” I said.

I find it quite amazing that these children – after a year of virtual on-line learning (that is, eyes glued to laptop or desktop computers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., five days a week) – still have such voracious appetites for video-game content. The topic does not appear in the policy literature of any of the federal political parties. (more…)