Facetime - The Virtual Playdate

Its a love/hate relationship at our house with Facetime--the app that allows you to video chat between iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch with another person.

Matt and I hate it. Chloe loves it.

It's the virtual playdate. Chloe will spend hours on it with friends, playing games, watching movies/tv shows together, studying for a math timed test, and being silly.

Matt and I are trying to figure out the boundaries and rules. We put up with the chimes of the Facetime request, though it is starting to get on my nerves!

So far, in order to Facetime, Chloe must--
1. Have her homework complete.
2. Have no other pressing matters to attend to.
3. Cannot Facetime at dinner, at the track or during family-time.
4. No Facetime after 9 p.m.

All iPads and iPhones are kept downstairs at night and are not allowed to be in the kids rooms.

According to Chloe and her pals, Matt and I are strict. It seems Chloe's friends have little to no restrictions regarding Facetime. I can attest to this as we have heard the chime of a Facetime request after 11 p.m. on a school night.

Its a different world than the one we grew up in and we are all trying to figure it out as best we can.