Kids Don’t Want To Go On A Family Trip, So Their Parents Take Their Modem Instead
Parenting is difficult in the 21st century. With easy access to technology, it’s harder and harder to keep your kids away from screens and get them to be active outside and with their family members. However, there is always a solution!
Like when your kids refuse to go on a fun family trip, you get rid of their internet connection by taking your modem on the trip instead. That’s exactly what Australian parents Cassie Langan and her husband did. Not only that, they took a whole bunch of photos of the modem having the time of its life. The story was so awesome, it went viral.
Bored Panda reached out to Cassie in order to hear more about her story, how her kids reacted, and what the internet’s response was like. Cassie was happy to talk to us. Scroll down for the full interview.
While we’re on the topic of tech, after you’re done with this post, why don’t you check out our in-depth article about a mom who forbids her kids from using phone and TV screens and the positive effects this has.
More info: Facebook
Two Aussie parents took their modem on a trip to the beach when two of their three kids refused to spend some quality family time together
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
According to Cassie, her husband works as a truck driver. That means that he’s on the road all week and only comes back home to his family on the weekends. Meanwhile, Cassie said that her “daughter works weekends and I work in retail, so I often work weekends too.”
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
“It’s not often that we are all home at the same time,” she noted. “So Chris and I thought we’d take the kids on a day trip to Warrnambool to go to the model train show that was on there, as hubby and the boys love trains.”
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
However, things did not go as planned: “Our 17-year-old daughter refused to go and our 10-year-old son had a tantrum listing all the reasons why it was unfair that we were making him go.”
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Cassie continued: “Our 13-year-old son was the only one who reluctantly agreed to go. In the end, we said to the kids that if they weren’t going to go, we’d take the modem instead and they said ok.”
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
When they all got back home from their trip, something magical had happened. “When we got home, our 17-year-old was so bored she actually cleaned her room and spent time with her younger brother.”
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
Image credits: Cassie Langan
“When I showed my 10-year-old the photos, he said that ‘it’s not fair, we hate him and love the modem more,’ and stormed off to his room,” Cassie told us about her children’s reactions to what happened.
“The reason I made the post public is that there is so much on social media at the moment about politics, bushfires, drought, and people having a hard time in general that I thought if my post brightened one person’s day, it would be worth it,” she said. And we’ve got to say, it’s working. It certainly brightened up our day.
“I am absolutely blown away by how many times it has been shared and the number of people who it made a difference to their day. As for my kids, after the post went viral…. they finally see the funny side.”
The story took the internet by storm
I'd be a bit worried about getting sand in the modem on the beach. Also, couldn't you have found a bathing suit for it? Unless it was a clothing optional beach, your modem must have been a little embarrassed.
I concur. I was concerned about sand in the modem's private parts...
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I sure hope my Modem doesn`t see this post! He`s been working hard the past 4 years :o
Autumn sez, "I doubt the modem is old enough to drink." She forgets that in modem years he's middle-aged and well on his way to being sent to a home for old modems. I say he should drink all he can while he can.
Im so jealous... when I want like a child to go to town to listen our famous singing fountain at the colonade my mom rather spent time on PC :(
Modem deserved a day at the beach not entertaining a bunch of bickering kids.
Someone should call the child protection agency, I'm pretty sure that child torture is illegal. 😉 A few weeks ago I was in a taxi, when the drivers phone rang, he asked if he could answer it as it was his 8-year old son and I said yes. Turns out his son forgot his smartphone in the taxi and was desperate for daddy to bring it to him. During the hour drive to my home, he rang 5 times asking "when are you coming?" Sounding more desperate for each time. Kids today are more or less addicted to being online constantly, we as adults have to stop this from getting any further.
Absolutely; but parents must set the rules early and stick to them. The older children are, the harder, if not impossible, it will be.
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If I were those kids I would have filed for emancipation the moment their parents left and then refused to ever speak to the parents again.
Now I'm kinda curious as to what the kids were supposed to do. Go on a trip that they were not interested in, had no say in and never asked for? Lie to their parents? Pretend that they were having fun? Don't get me wrong. I do think that a certain amount of politeness and cooperativeness is necessary, not only among family members. But don't punish children for not wanting to partake in a certain activity. They are allowed to say no.
@Jess-a-men, I respectfully disagree with you, they don’t get an equal say. Children are part of the family. They participate and do what is best for the family. This is how you start to understand teamwork, compassion, negotiation skills and compromise. When the child can fend for themselves and paying their way, then they can make independent choices.
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They're lucky one of the gulls didn't pick up the modem and take off with it, and that none of the birds took a sh$t on it.
Is it possible that their children didn’t want to spend time with them because they’re insufferable?
I'd be a bit worried about getting sand in the modem on the beach. Also, couldn't you have found a bathing suit for it? Unless it was a clothing optional beach, your modem must have been a little embarrassed.
I concur. I was concerned about sand in the modem's private parts...
Load More Replies... I sure hope my Modem doesn`t see this post! He`s been working hard the past 4 years :o
Autumn sez, "I doubt the modem is old enough to drink." She forgets that in modem years he's middle-aged and well on his way to being sent to a home for old modems. I say he should drink all he can while he can.
Im so jealous... when I want like a child to go to town to listen our famous singing fountain at the colonade my mom rather spent time on PC :(
Modem deserved a day at the beach not entertaining a bunch of bickering kids.
Someone should call the child protection agency, I'm pretty sure that child torture is illegal. 😉 A few weeks ago I was in a taxi, when the drivers phone rang, he asked if he could answer it as it was his 8-year old son and I said yes. Turns out his son forgot his smartphone in the taxi and was desperate for daddy to bring it to him. During the hour drive to my home, he rang 5 times asking "when are you coming?" Sounding more desperate for each time. Kids today are more or less addicted to being online constantly, we as adults have to stop this from getting any further.
Absolutely; but parents must set the rules early and stick to them. The older children are, the harder, if not impossible, it will be.
Load More Replies... If I were those kids I would have filed for emancipation the moment their parents left and then refused to ever speak to the parents again.
Now I'm kinda curious as to what the kids were supposed to do. Go on a trip that they were not interested in, had no say in and never asked for? Lie to their parents? Pretend that they were having fun? Don't get me wrong. I do think that a certain amount of politeness and cooperativeness is necessary, not only among family members. But don't punish children for not wanting to partake in a certain activity. They are allowed to say no.
@Jess-a-men, I respectfully disagree with you, they don’t get an equal say. Children are part of the family. They participate and do what is best for the family. This is how you start to understand teamwork, compassion, negotiation skills and compromise. When the child can fend for themselves and paying their way, then they can make independent choices.
Load More Replies... They're lucky one of the gulls didn't pick up the modem and take off with it, and that none of the birds took a sh$t on it.
Is it possible that their children didn’t want to spend time with them because they’re insufferable?
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