Raising Children in a Technology Exploding World – A Definite Challenge

Raising Children in a Technology Exploding World – A Definite Challenge

Not that very long ago, the choice of what to do this Saturday with the young’uns consisted of going to the park to play ball and have a picnic, fish at the local pond or visit Grandpa and Grandma down at the farm.  And to get there you jumped in your old model T! We are talking about less than one hundred years ago. The Model T went into production in 1908, but most families could not buy them until years later. The first TV set sold to the general public in 1928. The first cell phone, a big clunky thing which only made calls, (no texting then) was first publically used in 1978. And “personal” computers were not widely available at an affordable price until the 1980’s. In 1982, “The Computer” was named Machine of the Year by Time Magazine. That was only 34 years ago!

Time spent with family was precious, and the time they spent together encouraged sharing, learning and having fun! Some of those are still around today. Going camping for the weekend and teaching how to bait a hook and catch a fish. Visiting the local art museum and discovering what the word “art” really means. Going to the local park and having a picnic everyone helped make something for. Bringing a baseball or kickball and starting up a game. Taking a walk along a forest trail and discovering a world devoid of anything manmade. Jumping in the pond together and teaching them how to swim.

How do we, as parents, compete with the wonderful gadgets and toys that are now available to everyone? They can play games on their cell phones with someone a thousand miles or more away. They are plugged in, wired up and ready to take off with their computers, tablets and cell phones. They connect to any resource, can find the answer to any question, or read about any topic on the World Wide Web, Google, YouTube, Pinterest and more!  They text, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more, with anyone and everyone, all day long. Their watches talk; keep track of miles, time spent, calories burned and their next date. There mobile devices bring in music, TV shows, and movies from everywhere.

Ah, but we can get them to participate in a “family event” with just a little creativity and perseverance. We have to make the commitment to do this however, as we too enjoy are wonderful toys! Plan a family event once a week or at least once a month. Have a list of places to go and things to do, in and around where you live. Use that technology to search the internet and find local events, museums, camp grounds, sporting events, parks, festivals, and other great places. Let your children participate in the choosing of where you go next.

Make the effort to get up, get away from the techie toys, and go somewhere you can enjoy with your family. They might whine or complain initially, but once there, having fun together, they will start to enjoy themselves. And they may even appreciate the effort you took to do this when they have children of their own!