Partnering and Parenting: How will technology affect my parenting?
Almost three months ago my
wife and I welcomed our first
child, a beautiful baby girl, into the
world. The 16 hours of labour was
probably the most stressful, scary,
exciting time of our lives, with all
those emotions happening simultaneously.
My wife's three biggest supports were her support people, her nurses, and her cellphone. Yes, her cellphone. She used it to text updates, post on Facebook, and most importantly it took her mind off of the contractions. She didn't watch much on it, as that's what the laptop on the bedside table with a DVD of Friends was for.
When my mom arrived at the hospital, she was one of many who commented on how great the phone was to assist with labour. It really was amazing to see the technology that surrounded us and have it compared to generations passed. It also got me thinking, how is current and future technology going to affect my child and my parenting?
I was six when my family got our first computer. I'll never forget the time I spent learning about animals all over the world in the game Dangerous Creatures. Now my oldest niece and nephew of 12 and 11 own iPhones and laptops, my four-year-old niece has her own tablet and three-star scores on Angry Birds, and my youngest niece and nephew, of two and three, know how to use their parents' smartphones and navigate YouTube, or as my youngest niece so adorably says, “MyTube.”
Thankfully, all my nieces and nephews have or currently enjoy the spoils of ancient technology — what we know as crayons and paper, stickers, Lego, and of course, tea parties with dolls and GI Joes.
This makes me wonder what's in store for my daughter's adolescence and teenage years. It also makes me wonder what middle ground I need to set to separate the virtual world from the physical, the hi-tech from the low-tech.
I try not to be naive; I know technology plays a massive role in my own life. Being a student at Fanshawe, I see it play a massive role in all our lives. Laptops are required in plenty of programs, we have virtual databases dedicated to our studies, FanshaweOnline connects us with our teachers and fellow students, and provides us homework, quizzes, course outlines and more. The amount of technological advancement in my lifetime thus far is immense, and it will continue to grow exponentially during my daughter's lifetime. It leaves me speculating whether there will be any room in her life for the simple joys of colouring, digging her first hole to the other side of the world in the backyard, and building forts out of the kitchen table with a couple blankets.
Furthermore, where do I draw the line with things like social media? All of the awareness and ease of access to information the Internet provides has done little to curb something as old as bullying. The amount of information kids, teens, and adults give out for free in our time is scary. The amount of information predators can access is even scarier.
We are also left with the dilemma of physical interaction versus virtual interaction. Conversations are being replaced with texts, phone calls replaced with emails, even interviews replaced with Skype.
There's no doubt about it; technology is great. It has saved countless lives, and has improved many more. We have libraries at our fingertips, and storefronts on our laps. But as a new dad, I'm left with tons of questions and uncertainties that only experience and time have the answers to… unless we are finally able to build that time machine.
My wife's three biggest supports were her support people, her nurses, and her cellphone. Yes, her cellphone. She used it to text updates, post on Facebook, and most importantly it took her mind off of the contractions. She didn't watch much on it, as that's what the laptop on the bedside table with a DVD of Friends was for.
When my mom arrived at the hospital, she was one of many who commented on how great the phone was to assist with labour. It really was amazing to see the technology that surrounded us and have it compared to generations passed. It also got me thinking, how is current and future technology going to affect my child and my parenting?
I was six when my family got our first computer. I'll never forget the time I spent learning about animals all over the world in the game Dangerous Creatures. Now my oldest niece and nephew of 12 and 11 own iPhones and laptops, my four-year-old niece has her own tablet and three-star scores on Angry Birds, and my youngest niece and nephew, of two and three, know how to use their parents' smartphones and navigate YouTube, or as my youngest niece so adorably says, “MyTube.”
Thankfully, all my nieces and nephews have or currently enjoy the spoils of ancient technology — what we know as crayons and paper, stickers, Lego, and of course, tea parties with dolls and GI Joes.
This makes me wonder what's in store for my daughter's adolescence and teenage years. It also makes me wonder what middle ground I need to set to separate the virtual world from the physical, the hi-tech from the low-tech.
I try not to be naive; I know technology plays a massive role in my own life. Being a student at Fanshawe, I see it play a massive role in all our lives. Laptops are required in plenty of programs, we have virtual databases dedicated to our studies, FanshaweOnline connects us with our teachers and fellow students, and provides us homework, quizzes, course outlines and more. The amount of technological advancement in my lifetime thus far is immense, and it will continue to grow exponentially during my daughter's lifetime. It leaves me speculating whether there will be any room in her life for the simple joys of colouring, digging her first hole to the other side of the world in the backyard, and building forts out of the kitchen table with a couple blankets.
Furthermore, where do I draw the line with things like social media? All of the awareness and ease of access to information the Internet provides has done little to curb something as old as bullying. The amount of information kids, teens, and adults give out for free in our time is scary. The amount of information predators can access is even scarier.
We are also left with the dilemma of physical interaction versus virtual interaction. Conversations are being replaced with texts, phone calls replaced with emails, even interviews replaced with Skype.
There's no doubt about it; technology is great. It has saved countless lives, and has improved many more. We have libraries at our fingertips, and storefronts on our laps. But as a new dad, I'm left with tons of questions and uncertainties that only experience and time have the answers to… unless we are finally able to build that time machine.
