WWYD? DS 9 broke my kindle

[Jennifer132]

Here's my situation. I have a ds9 who is totally obsessed with books. I could never fund his book need without a kindle because there are so many free options out there. I have the whole Heritage History set, Yesterday's Classics, and many other public domain books. This is a child who reads my college textbooks for fun. Just for background.

 

So my mom got me a kindle for my birthday a few years ago, and I never used it. Just used the kindle app on my iPad. Meanwhile, I was finding it difficult to keep enough books on hand for my son. So I let him borrow my kindle. I downloaded a bunch of books and he pretty much kept it in his room. I would frequently scold him for leaving it on floor or second floor banisters etc. But he didn't take me seriously. I never took it away because it felt like if I did I was hindering his learning and love for books (he has read every physical book we have in the house many times over).

 

In a matter of 6 months or so, he caused the cover to crack. Then he somehow got the casing off of the charger bit (not the casing on the wire, but the part that plugs into the kindle). Then the charging element became loose in the slot and would charge only intermittently. Finally as it is now the charging element doesn't even fit into the slot in the kindle anymore and it can't be charged at all. And the kindle won't turn off now either. I did not realize any of this except for the crack (which doesn't affect function) and that the wire was loose in the kindle slot until last night.

 

How would you handle this? He has also been less than gentle on my paper books, despite my complaints to him about it. I'm not angry with him, but I do feel like buying another kindle and letting this situation repeat itself is unwise. And not buying a kindle is going to limit his access to books some (we do have a small town library, but it is in no way adequate nor does it stock books I would be thrilled for him to read). I realize he's only 9 and maybe wasnt ready to handle it responsibly yet (hindsight though). I do think there is a lesson to be learned here for both of us. So what would you do?

[fairfarmhand]

Buy it and keep him from using it in his room. "Son you can use this on the couch or on my bed. That's all."

 

I might have him help pay for it, depending on his earning/allowance capability. Perhaps the cost might help him learn to keep up with it better.

 

Maybe he should have to check it out, like a library, with you every morning.

[zoobie]

The charging port issue can be normal wear and tear. There's a known problem with some Fires, so maybe with regular Kindles too? Likely he's reading while it's charging. I've killed several cords for my iPhone that way, but the iPhone port is sturdy, unlike the Kindle's.

 

Anyway, I wouldn't think the charging port is a reflection of abuse after several years. Even the cracked case, really. I drop things all the time. If I didn't have an Otterbox on my phone... Electronics have a finite lifespan. They want you to buy the latest and greatest!

 

I'd replace it (actually chat with amazon to see of it's an issue with that model) and get a sturdy case. If I found it on the steps or floor, I'd pick it up and figure out some method of him "earning" its release from mom jail. (I'm also assuming he's neurotypical and is normal 9 year old forgetful and not ADHD forgetful...)

[Miss Tick]

Maybe my response is tempered because you are handling this so calmly.

 

You weren't using the Kindle, he used it a lot for reading, it sounds like normal wear and tear for a 9 year old. How much do they cost? How much would additional monitoring cost you (in time and frustration)? How much would it cost you to keep him in cheap, used paperbacks?

 

My approach would be to replace it and then before turning it over, have a sit-down, explain the cost, explain that you can't buy one every year (or no more than once a year), collectively decide on protective measures. It sounds like a good thing overall, it would be too bad if it became a source of irritation between the two of you.

[Aiden]

If it's affordable for you to buy one for him ... I wouldn't. Instead I'd let him do extra chores around the house and pay him for those chores, allowing him to save up for it. Until he buys one, he's limited to the books you have, or the ones at the library, or if you have a laptop or desktop that you can put a Kindle reader on, he can use that when the computer is available.

 

Of course, if you make him buy the replacement, then you get into the issue of whose kindle is it? The one he broke was yours, but you didn't use it and let him borrow it indefinitely from the sound of it, sort of making it a gift to him. So the one he buys--is it yours, to replace the one he broke, but on loan to him same as the other was? Or will you "forgive" him the one he broke and let him buy one of his own?

 

In any case, I'd either tell him he had to save enough money for the Kindle plus a protective cover (if the new Kindle is his), or I'd provide the cover for my Kindle that I allowed him to use, or I'd provide the cover as a gift for him to use with his Kindle.

 

And if you do choose to just buy another one, I'd make it very clear to him that he's on notice--if he breaks the next one, he's buying the replacement.

 

He's 9. He's still a kid, but he's been warned about being careful with things. The best way to learn to take care of things is to experience the consequences when you don't.

 

ETA: This is based on what you'd said, that he broke it. If you believe that it's normal wear and tear, or an issue with the Kindle, then my response would be different. I'd buy another one if I could afford it, but tell him not to read it while it's charging etc. In any case with what you've described, I'd put a case on it.

[ktgrok]

Get him a new one, and a case. Tell him not to read while charging. That's it. Be glad he loves books. 

[Lolly]

I've had a cracked case. I've had screen issues. Kindles tend to last about 1-2 years with fairly careful handling. I've owned several. That makes me wonder if it is rough handling or just normal wear and tear. Even with the short life span, it is cheaper than me buying books! They are starting to make better cases for them. If you can afford it, I would get him one and a a good case to go along with it. You could wait until a birthday or something. Have him give it to you when it needs to be recharged. 

[73349]

Is his birthday in the next few months? If so, I'd make him wait until then for a new one, and make an agreement with him about This Exact Spot where the Kindle must be when not in use.

If not... I'm not sure. I might ask him for his ideas about what to do. My DS has enough in savings that I'd let him use his own money for it.

[Acorn]

The charging port on mine went out with only careful adult handling.  You should consult with Amazon.  Mine was replaced even though the warranty had ended.

[Butter]

I've broken a Kindle myself.  It was in a case and everything, but somehow the screen cracked.  I'd get him the cheapest Kindle (they might be on sale right now even - Mother's Day they usually have sales) and a good case.  And then I'd allow him to only use it in certain places, not carry it around, and plug it in when necessary for him.  If he leaves it places he's not supposed to, take it for a while and hit the library in the mean time.

[Plateau Mama]

Personally, I'd buy him the cheap $69 kindle. To me, for a child who reads as much as yours does, $69 is worth it. I'd have him pay at least half if you feel he is able, or give as a birthday gift. My 12 yo lost his, somewhere in the house, so we waited until his birthday to give him another. (About 3 months.)

 

As for how long they last, I bought 5 paper whites when the first came out 2.5 years ago. My kids were 9 & 11 at the time. 3 went to adults. All 5 are still functioning and in perfect condition. 3/5 get heavy use. Chargers, meh, we lose those like crazy.

[Aura]

All handheld devices are REQUIRED to have a case in our house. Everyone that I have ever known, from child to adult, who has not had a case for their whatever, has ended up with cracked screens at the least.

 

I have extremely rough children, but this rule has saved us wrt damaged devices. The only thing it didn't save was my dd7's Kindle that she decided to take in the bath with her. O_O

 

The fact that dd(now 8) still doesn't have a Kindle (because I can't afford to replace it, and she's having to save her own money toward a new one) has helped the others to realize the precarious nature of owning an expensive device.

 

I still have to fuss at kids for leaving a device on the couch, and they are in major trouble if I find it on the floor, but all that still happens because kids do forget. If it weren't for those cases, we'd have a lot more casualties around here. Except for dd14, who is extremely careful, no would probably still have a device.

[Paige]

Kindles are glitchy. My DS broke mine. I am sure of it. But- my DD's kindle just broke and I know she did nothing to it. It looks perfectly fine. My own kindle that I got to replace the one DS broke has also scared me a few times by acting up and I thought it may have also died. Your DS's problems do not sound like the results of mistreatment. The charging issue is common, it is common for it just die out of nowhere and not wake up, and even a cracked cover is no big deal. In your case, I would call Amazon if he's within the warranty period and see if they will help you. Otherwise, I'd consider getting him a new one, but really, I may just get something else. I no longer have faith in kindles or Amazon's customer service w/ them after experiencing 2 break and 1 become glitchy within a short time period.

 

As for what I did when DS broke mine, I made him pay. He had to save up and pay replacement costs.

[Corraleno]

Get him a new one, and a case. Tell him not to read while charging. That's it. Be glad he loves books. 

 

:iagree:

 

Having a 9 yo boy who reads so voraciously that he wore out a Kindle is a nice problem to have. Get the $69 one, and invest in a good case.

[KungFuPanda]

Can you have a controlled reading space for him and the kindle doesn't leave that space. He can still take library books in his room.

[Joanne]

I'd buy him a new, simple, one and make him work off the cost in chores that you might pay others for (here, that tends to be things like clean the garage).

 

I'd then designate a home for the kindle, and whenever it's not in use or in its home, I'd follow up with a penalty - kindle gets taken away for "X" amount of time or a fine out of allowance or something.

And I'd step up my game of supervision, because I would see that I set him up to fail by not acting earlier.

[J-rap]

I wouldn't be too upset; I would let him know that accidents do happen (and that there is normal wear and tear), but that there could be a better way of taking care of it and prolonging its life in the future.  (I am assuming that he feels badly about it.)

 

But, I would not go out and get him a new one yet, even if I could afford it and even if it wasn't completely his fault.  This is a lesson I would want to teach my kids -- that there isn't always instant gratification.  (Not to punish him.)

 

Does he have a birthday coming up in a few months?  I would wait for that, and it would be the cheapest one possible.  Maybe even a used one on eBay?  When I got it, I would go over very specific methods of keeping it nice as long as possible.  If it happened again (due to his carelessness), then he would have to earn money on his own to get another one.

 

In the meantime, can you order books from your local library from other libraries in the state?  That is what we did for years.  My kids were mostly voracious readers and I could go online and order almost any book from any library in our state.  I would order twenty at a time, and they would be sent to our local library.  It was a fantastic system!

[Jennifer132]

OP here: I just wanted to add that it does have a case, since so many suggested a case as a solution.

[Mandylubug]

I'd buy the cheapest e ink version and not allow in his room. We require all electronics in living room. It works well and stopped the destruction cycle we were starting to experience routinely.

[MomtoCandJ]

Is there like an otter box for kindles? I have a first gen Nook so I have no clue what's out there

[Corraleno]

OP, I would get a rubber-type case specifically for kids. This one works with the previous generation of Kindle Fire (currently $99).

 

 

[Dmmetler]

The basic kindle often goes on sale for $49. Given that 10 paperbacks cost that much, I figure if a Kindle lasts a year, it's been worth the money, since we use it so much for library e-books, free books, online articles (DD has a journal subscription and has several open-access journals she reads, and she can print those articles to the Kindle), and so on. I'm watching my "special offers" for cheap kindles, because I'm thinking having a backup would be a good thing. I have a

 

I don't let her take the iPad or her iPod touch to her room, but I do let her take her basic $49 kindle. It also rides in her purse a lot.

 

We have a store here called Bargain Hunt that is a great place to find low-cost cases for electronic devices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Haiku]

I wouldn't do anything. You didn't use the Kindle, so it's not a loss for you. He used the Kindle, abused it, and broke it. Now he doesn't have one. Life is hard sometimes.

 

ETA: I've had my Kindle for  2 1/2 years now. I'm very careful with it, and it is in excellent working order with no scratches or cracks. I know that electronics have a finite lifetime (my iPhone is on the way out) but I don't think it's reasonable to say that if a Kindle lasts a year that's all you should expect.

[stupidusername]

Get him a new one, and a case. Tell him not to read while charging. That's it. Be glad he loves books. 

 

This.

[Guest submarines]

I'd just simply buy him a new kindle and a protective cover, no questions asked. I'm not even sure I'd be upset over it. He's 9. Probably a bit absent minded, given all the reading he does. ;)

 

I'd make sure the parent is responsible for the charger / charging.

[OneStepAtATime]

He wasn't flinging it against walls or dropping it in the toilet for fun. He was being a boy of 9 using a rather fragile electronic device a LOT.  Should he try to be more careful?  Sure.  But I have a Kindle and it has a cracked case and the charger area is loose and I am VERY careful.  Things wear out.  Things get broken.  

 

If you really want him to be more careful and appreciate the Kindle then maybe he does need to invest something of himself into it.  Like others suggested I would have him do some chores to help earn a new kindle.  Maybe give him cash for each thing he does and tell him you will match whatever he earns.  Show him how much one costs and then he works to earn half.  Then both of you go buy it and he hands over the cash.  Great life lesson.  Don't make it a punishment.  This is just one of those things that happens and can be learned from.  And if, after earning some cash, he decides he would rather invest that cash in something else then you know that the Kindle actually DIDN'T matter as much as you thought.   :)

[Corraleno]

I wouldn't do anything. You didn't use the Kindle, so it's not a loss for you. He used the Kindle, abused it, and broke it. Now he doesn't have one. Life is hard sometimes.

 

ETA: I've had my Kindle for  2 1/2 years now. I'm very careful with it, and it is in excellent working order with no scratches or cracks. I know that electronics have a finite lifetime (my iPhone is on the way out) but I don't think it's reasonable to say that if a Kindle lasts a year that's all you should expect.

 

I've had my Kindle about 2.5 yrs, too, and it's also in good condition, but I don't use it very much — and I'm not a 9 year old boy. The OP's son has probably used his Kindle (which was already at least a couple of years old when he got it) waaaay more in the 6 months he had it than I have in the last 2.5 years. A cracked screen and worn out charger are very common problems with electronic devices that get a lot of use, even when used by responsible adults. 

 

If we were talking about a DSLite or some other expensive toy, and the device had been broken because he left it out in the rain, or threw it against a wall, or something, I'd say yeah, definitely make him go without or earn the money to replace it.

 

But we're talking about an eReader that was already a couple of years old when he got, which was given to him for the parent's convenience (to save money vs. buying books), and the damage is the kind that occurs from heavy use, even when used by adults.

 

Refusing to replace it, or making him wait months until he earns the money to pay for one himself, is (IMHO) punishing a 9 year old boy, for acting like a 9 year old boy, by making him stop reading! That just doesn't make sense to me, on any level.

[Haiku]

Refusing to replace it, or making him wait months until he earns the money to pay for one himself, is (IMHO) punishing a 9 year old boy, for acting like a 9 year old boy, by making him stop reading! That just doesn't make sense to me, on any level.

 

No one said to make the child stop reading. I simply said I wouldn't do anything because the child broke the Kindle and now he doesn't have one. Sorry, but I don't think that a 9 year old trashing a Kindle in 6 months is just something to be expected.

 

However, if the OP wants to buy her son a new Kindle, I think that's great. It's entirely up to her. I have been known, on occasion, to buy my kids stuff just because I love them. ;)

[Haiku]

I guess what I'm thinking is that the Kindle was not bought for the child. It was a gift to the mother. She allowed her son to borrow it. He did not take care of it the way she asked him to, and now it is broken. It was never his to begin with, so to fail to rush out and buy the child a new one is in no way punishing him. It's just the consequence of not being careful. If you borrow something from someone and break it, are you entitled to a new one just because you liked having/using it?

 

A friend gave me an old Nook a few years ago. I don't like it because it's too heavy and not user friendly. I let my son use it because he likes to pay chess on it. If he breaks it, I'm not buying him a new one just because he liked using the one he had access to.

 

Actually, my son just saved his money and spent $109 on a refurbished Nook HD. I hope he enjoys using it. I reminded him to save his money to buy a case for it. I impressed upon him that it is a fragile piece of electronics and, if he treats it like he treats his iPod Ancient (not sure what model, but old), it will not last long. If he destroys it, I will be sad for him. I will not buy him a new one.

[HRAAB]

I have on occasion been careless with electronics that belong to me usually because I'm in a hurry or my mind is elsewhere.  Once it resulted in me having to replace my cell phone.  I know it's my own money so not exactly the same situation.  However, it makes me think twice about punishing a child for doing something that I've done or could easily have done.  From reading the OP, it didn't sound like he intentionally abused the Kindle.  It sounded like a 9 yr old boy (or girl) using a Kindle a lot for reading.  I would look at it as something well used and buy him a cheap replacement.  I haven't had great luck with Kindles lasting even without a 9 yr old boy using it.

[Corraleno]

I guess what I'm thinking is that the Kindle was not bought for the child. It was a gift to the mother. She allowed her son to borrow it. He did not take care of it the way she asked him to, and now it is broken. It was never his to begin with, so to fail to rush out and buy the child a new one is in no way punishing him.

 

Severely reducing a voracious reader's access to books is punishment. The OP said that she can't afford to buy enough books for him, their library stinks, and he's already read every book in the house multiple times. An ereader loaded with free classics and other public domain books is not a luxury or an indulgence, IMO. For some people, books are more analogous to food than toys — they feed a genuine hunger. I would not withhold books from a child any more than I would withhold food.

[Jennifer132]

I guess what I'm thinking is that the Kindle was not bought for the child. It was a gift to the mother. She allowed her son to borrow it. He did not take care of it the way she asked him to, and now it is broken. It was never his to begin with, so to fail to rush out and buy the child a new one is in no way punishing him. It's just the consequence of not being careful. If you borrow something from someone and break it, are you entitled to a new one just because you liked having/using it?

 

A friend gave me an old Nook a few years ago. I don't like it because it's too heavy and not user friendly. I let my son use it because he likes to pay chess on it. If he breaks it, I'm not buying him a new one just because he liked using the one he had access to.

 

Actually, my son just saved his money and spent $109 on a refurbished Nook HD. I hope he enjoys using it. I reminded him to save his money to buy a case for it. I impressed upon him that it is a fragile piece of electronics and, if he treats it like he treats his iPod Ancient (not sure what model, but old), it will not last long. If he destroys it, I will be sad for him. I will not buy him a new one.

Severely reducing a voracious reader's access to books is punishment. The OP said that she can't afford to buy enough books for him, their library stinks, and he's already read every book in the house multiple times. An ereader loaded with free classics and other public domain books is not a luxury or an indulgence, IMO. For some people, books are more analogous to food than toys — they feed a genuine hunger. I would not withhold books from a child any more than I would withhold food.

OP here: these two sum up the issue for me. It wasn't his kindle. It was mine. It was like new when I let him borrow it. It is now unusable. I do not consider how it was treated to be normal use(leaving on floor, in doorways, etc). He certainly doesn't treat his Lego creations that way, so I know he is capable of being careful. I warned him many times not to do that and to be careful. It had a hard case that the kindle clicked into. He didn't take care of it, and I think he would do well to learn you must be gentle with electronics, especially those that aren't yours.

 

At the same time, while I don't think he's entitled to a new one, reading is his obsession. It is like food to him. He literally cannot function without taking in information and stories and print. He has been this way since he was a toddler. He was reading chapter books by 4. My other kids are not like this. For him it is like a hunger. So I feel compelled to feed that. I just want to teach him a life lesson at the same time.

 

Thank you to all who have replied so far. It does help to see the different responses. Obviously we all handle it differently depending on our parenting styles.

[Haiku]

An ereader loaded with free classics and other public domain books is not a luxury or an indulgence, IMO.

 

I couldn't disagree more. Different life experiences and perspectives, I guess. In the end I don't care a hoot what the OP does. But I just can't wrap my head around the idea that not having an ereader is a punishment. 

[RoundAbout]

It sounds like the Kindle is an essential part of his education and thus I would replace it with no issues or stipulations. Unless an explicit rule was broken or there was a gross negligence like leaving it outside or throwing it around I don't think any kind of punishment is in order. My husband goes through about a Kindle a year because he uses it daily and takes it on his business and mountaineering trips. While our kindles are treated with more care than thrift store paperbacks, they are meant to be used. Things that are used wear out.

 

A good case might be in order though.

[Haiku]

At the same time, while I don't think he's entitled to a new one, reading is his obsession. It is like food to him. He literally cannot function without taking in information and stories and print. He has been this way since he was a toddler. He was reading chapter books by 4. My other kids are not like this. For him it is like a hunger. So I feel compelled to feed that. I just want to teach him a life lesson at the same time.

 

I understand this. My dd is the same way. I think that asking your son to do chores to earn half the money for a new Kindle is an excellent way to go. I gave my son $20 toward his Nook HD, he saved his allowance for a while, and he did chores to earn about $20 of the cost. Nine is an excellent age to contribute to the cost of an electronic device.

[Tammyla]

I would purchase another e-reader of some sort and set some new rules and consequences for not following them in place for the use, care and storage. 

 

You need to help him develop the habit of properly caring for things.  (Losing a privilege for a set amount of time is pretty standard and easy to follow through with as a parent.)  However, I've dropped mine and know plenty of people who were careful and had charger problems.

 

 

 

[Joanne]

I couldn't disagree more. Different life experiences and perspectives, I guess. In the end I don't care a hoot what the OP does. But I just can't wrap my head around the idea that not having an ereader is a punishment. 

 

By the descriptions offered by the OP, it felt like it would punish the OP for the child to not have access to copious amounts of reading material!

[kitten18]

Get him a new one, and a case. Tell him not to read while charging. That's it. Be glad he loves books.

Agree.

[RoundAbout]

OP here: these two sum up the issue for me. It wasn't his kindle. It was mine. It was like new when I let him borrow it. It is now unusable. I do not consider how it was treated to be normal use(leaving on floor, in doorways, etc). s.

I guess my feeling is that if leaving it on the floor was breaking a rule then it should have been dealt with at the time with a punishment. Whether it actually broke or not is kind of irrelevant. We have things that DS is not allowed to touch, things that he is allowed but with specific rules, and things that don't matter as much. For us breaking a Kindle would be like knocking over a glass at the table. Maybe carelessness was involved but if I don't normally punish for putting a glass too close to the table edge, I wouldn't punish just because it happened to fall this time.

[Mandylubug]

I think if he seems remorseful that it happened, that with a new one, he will remember why it shouldn't be on the floor, etc. We learn from our mistakes not from our perfections.

[Mom-ninja.]

Get him a new one, and a case. Tell him not to read while charging. That's it. Be glad he loves books. 

 

Simply this.

[bluemongoose]

My DD is also 9 and a reader like your son...very like.

 

She also has a hand me down kindle that was in brand new shape. It was mine and I gave it to her (not a loan) when my DH bought me a paperwhite. She accidentally broke the charging port by forcing the cord in. It was an accident and she did treat it well prior to that happening. We did not buy her a new one, she saved up (doing extra chores, her allowance etc) and bought herself a new to her one. She chose a used keyboard (like the one she had) because she likes it to read aloud to her at lights out time. We could have afforded to buy her another one, but we felt she is getting old enough to learn that even accidents have consequences. If I broke my new paperwhite kindle, nobody would take pity on me and buy me another, I would have to replace it. At 9, I feel it is ok to start learning this lesson with small things that she can earn and replace. And yes, books are also food for this kid. She just went on a small diet for a couple of weeks and worked really hard to earn it.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Get him a new one, and a case. Tell him not to read while charging. That's it. Be glad he loves books.

Yep. This. I'd bet the $69 Kindle will go on sale for Father's Day in the next few weeks. It just came off the sale for Mother's Day. My kids got that one on the Christmas special. We put these cases on them. They're $10 with shipping and surprisingly protective:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007NPQRZW

[StephanieZ]

He's 9. You're at least 25. You knew how he was treating the kindle, and you chose not to enforce more careful behavior. Seems to me it's on you. 

 

So, buy a new kindle. Get a really sturdy case.

 

This time, show and tell him how to treat it, and enforce proper care and feeding of the kindle. Coach, show, remind, reward. If he treats it poorly, enforce proper consequences (no Kindle for 48 hours, or no dessert, or whatever). 

 

If money is so tight that you can't quickly dig up the under-100 for a new kindle . . . then gently explain that fact to son and share your iPad for a while (bet that makes you jumpy and ready to find the $$ for the new kindle, doesn't it, lol). Explain that you have to save up for a while, or wait, or whatever, but that you'll share while you are waiting. . . 

 

BTW, Kindle screens are much more fragile than iPads IME. I've had my iPad for 3 years in my purse, never a scratch, never a problem. In 4ish years I've broken at least four kindles and now have three working ones (whole family  . . .) Love those paperwhite screens for reading (more than the iPad), but they are fragile. Much easier to break than iPads. So, get a good case that doesn't come off EVER. I like the ones that seal magnetically and look like a leather book binding. They're under $20, and we've never broken one in a case EXCEPT if I put it in a laptop bag and said bag gets luggage stacked on it .. . THey can't handle the compression. So, anyway, don't stack heavy stuff on the kindle, and keep it in a case. If you do those things, they are much more bullet proof than otherwise.

[albeto.]

 So I feel compelled to feed that. I just want to teach him a life lesson at the same time.

 

Sometimes I think we think we're teaching "life lessons," when in reality we really want someone to feel bad about what they did to us. He didn't do this on purpose. Being absent minded isn't something to punish, it's something to guide a child through the best you can. I'm absent minded. I'm clumsy. I've hurt more people than I care to think about. It's never on purpose. The "life lessons" I had to endure just felt like vengeance to me. I think they're mean. 

 

Huh, maybe I'm biased.  ;)

[Wilma]

StephanieZ, would you be willing to link to the case y'all love? I have such a hard time choosing things like that without being able to touch them!

[Lolly]

 

 

ETA: I've had my Kindle for  2 1/2 years now. I'm very careful with it, and it is in excellent working order with no scratches or cracks. I know that electronics have a finite lifetime (my iPhone is on the way out) but I don't think it's reasonable to say that if a Kindle lasts a year that's all you should expect.

 

I go through a Kindle a year. I take care of it. Admitting, I did just get a case for the one I have now. I have never had a case before. It may depend on the level of usage. I read about a book a day. I literally wear them out. It may not be a matter of years, but a matter of how many pages turned or hours used. But, I cannot imagine one lasting as long as yours has. Or, you may have just gotten really lucky with the one you got.

[Haiku]

Or, you may have just gotten really lucky with the one you got.

 

Maybe. We also have a Nook that is about 4 years old. It doesn't get heavily used because I don't like it, but it is used several times weekly. However, if my Nook HD+ (recently purchased) or my Kindle only lasted a year, I would be angry and contact the the company. I would expect them to create a more durable product.

 

FWIW, I got an iPod Touch for Christmas in 2008. It was a refurb, and it's still going strong. 

[ktgrok]

Maybe. We also have a Nook that is about 4 years old. It doesn't get heavily used because I don't like it, but it is used several times weekly. However, if my Nook HD+ (recently purchased) or my Kindle only lasted a year, I would be angry and contact the the company. I would expect them to create a more durable product.

 

FWIW, I got an iPod Touch for Christmas in 2008. It was a refurb, and it's still going strong. 

 

 

Keep in mind, the use is different. When you read a book on the kindle you are tapping the screen in the same place over and over, every couple seconds. You don't do that wiht other products like an Ipod or even a tablet. Also, the kindle is VERY thin and light for it's size, to make reading comfortable, but it also makes it less durable. 

[Okra]

I have a child that reads like yours.  Here is what I would do:

 

I would buy him a new Kindle, accept that he's nine and he is going to screw up sometimes.  He will still probably turn out to be a fantastic kid, even if you don't hold him very responsible for this particular instance.  It will be okay to let this one slide.

 

Make it Crystal Clear that you are doing something very nice for him.  If you find this new kindle in a spot that is not responsible, the kindle goes away for a month.  Yep, a long time.  He will survive and be more careful in the future.

 

Enjoy your voracious reader, mine is almost all grown up now, and I will miss her when she's gone.