Is it just us, or have you also been noticing more and more toddlers “plugged in” at the dinner table?

We understand that couple time can be very hard to come by. And we all crave adult conversation, especially when enjoying a restaurant meal.  As single parents, we also know it’s not always easy to get just 10 minutes of downtime. But we can’t help but wonder if all these kids on cell phones is some sort of American trend.  What do you think?

Almost half of the top 100-selling apps in the iTunes App Store are for preschool and elementary-aged children! Sure, these kids might be practicing their ABCs as their parents get some adult time.

But … we wonder how all this media usage affects young kids?

Please know: No judgments @Singlemommyhood – ever! We know that many of you consider iPhones and other technology innovations great teaching tools. And are justifiably proud of what your kids’ tech savvy.  Many of you are wary of too much  screen time, especially for young kids.

We’re *curious* to know what YOU think.   So, we’d love to hear your thoughts:

If you have a toddler, do you let him/her play on your phone?

If so, do you consider your phone a teaching tool?

Or is offering your phone to your child a last resort when you’re desperate?

~~~~~~

Photo courtesy of purplelime

Related posts:

1. Is parenting more challenging today? Rachel and I buzz back and forth constantly. We live...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Over email, we’ve been hushing back and forth about Ms. Suleman, too — and we’ve felt torn about posting anything. Until now.

After all, it’s hard to take the story’s sideshow appeal seriously.

And her decision — to have more children when she’s unemployed, still completing her education, and living with her parents — is one everyone is judging.

And, of course, the tabloids have dubbed her the “loony Octomom”.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this one — because we know you all have opinions!

Here’s what some bloggers out there are saying:

The Wow Women ask: “Should women or couples be allowed to profit from having so many children?”

Lisa Belkin of the New York Times Motherlode wonders how the heck Nadya will breastfeed eight babies, as she says she plans to do: “Is it physically possible to produce that much breast milk?”

Liz Robbins of the New York Times questions what Nadya’s real motives are: “While movie rights, book deals and interview fees could potentially bring in quite a bit of money to help pay for the care of all those children, such publicity also raises further questions about her intentions.”

Keep it Trill questions the Medical Board’s investigation on the doctors behind this: “I wonder if the Medical Board would have gotten involved if she’d been married… and who pressured them to do so.”

Lynette Rice of PopWatch wonders if “Nadya Suleman and her 14 kids be the next super-sized family to get a TLC Show?” (After all, Jon and Kate and their brood of eight have done wonders for the network!)

P.S. Rachel wonders if Nadya is a virgin…. Seriously, she had all of 14 of her children through in vitro fertilization. What if she comes out and says that she has never had sex! Imagine! Dr. Leah did you wonder the same?

Dr. Leah replies: Of course, the same thought hit me right away.  According to the New York Post, however, Nadya was married in 1996 and split in 2000.  She may still claim virginity.  I’m also intrigued by the report that one sperm donor fathered all these kids.

The “water cooler buzz” will definitely be intense.  It’s distressing that so much attention will be focused  on this single mom’s perceived lack of judgment and dubious intentions.

Will this story affect how the media views single moms?

Related posts:

1. Media Kit You might have heard about that recent Wall Street Journal...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

First, for the record, no one would want to trade places with Matt Logelin.

If you don’t know his story yet — which was profiled in a recent People magazine spread and featured at AOL.com — please read about Matt, Liz, and Madeleine here.

We applaud Matt for using his tragic experience to launch a non-profit in his wife’s name for widows, Liz Logelin Foundation.

We also want you to know that we gave Matt the head’s up that we were writing this post.

As the spotlight shines brighter and brighter on Matt, however, we can’t help but wonder:

Why is the media giving so much attention to one single dad?

What makes him the media darling?

Why don’t we see the faces of single mom widows out there, and hear their stories?

Don’t these women matter, too?

Matt agrees.

He told us on the phone that he’s “mystified” by the fact that AOL’s ParentDish contacted him for an exclusive interview — and then blamed him for getting all of the attention:

“Why does this one widower get all this attention while single mothers all over the country confront what he does every day?” AOL asked.

“It’s a valid argument,” Matt told says. “Why am I getting all of the attention?”

He points out for instance, one of the single moms to whom the Liz Logelin Foundation recently gave $2,000: Jackie of Mothering Nature. Her husband died of a pulmonary embolism last year and she’s raising two kids alone.

We’d love the media to answer: Why aren’t you interested in telling HER story?

Or, how about Abigail Carter, who lost her husband in 9/11 and is raising her two kids solo?

There’s also David Goldman, whose wife died in Brazil after she abducted their son — and he hasn’t seen his child for more than four years.

Go ahead and call us jealous. It’s not that.  No one would envy or choose Matt’s situation.

Frankly, we’re simply amazed.

It’s the fact that the media gives Matt gets the spotlight — big time — when there are hundreds of thousands of widows raising their babies solo because Dads were killed in the line of duty, mowed down by drunk drivers, murdered on 9/11, or simply unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

We’ve all known women who’ve lost their husbands or partners to a sudden heart attack or other catastrophic illness.

It’s always been our experience that single dads are “heroes.” And single moms?….Well, we should just try harder.

Even Matt points out in his most recent post:

“I’m not doing this shit to be famous, because I don’t give a shit about that, and none of this means anything to me without Liz, but we want to harness this attention in the best way possible. Again, not for me. Not for Madeline. For others like us, who lost a spouse, a partner and a parent….”

Hello media, where are you?

Obviously, a great deal of Matt’s media darling status is because he is so willing to go public with his story.

Many single parents in similar circumstances value privacy — they are not interested in offering details about their private lives to a voyeuristic public.

There’s a real life soap opera quality to Matt’s story that readers frankly find compelling. And then there’s something a bit more subtle: Sex sells.

Look in any college’s girl room and there’s the hunky guy holding a newborn poster. Woman find that guy with a tiny baby all alone image very appealing. And, without ever posting a single word about sex, Matt’s story has that appeal.

Even Matt pointed this out last summer on his blog:

“I realize that I’m in a privileged position as a single father, especially one made single by chance rather than choice…”

Still why doesn’t the media let Matt share the spotlight with single mom widows?… And tell their stories, too?

Photo taken Jan. 28, courtesy of Matt Logelin

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.