Technology. We all have it. We all use it. Some of us more than others. I’ve recently taken an inventory of all of the gadgets that we own and have come up with the following list:
1 desktop computer, 2 laptops (1 functioning, 1 going to laptop heaven), iPad, 4 iPods and 1 iPod touch soon to be added, the Wii, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo DS, 3 mobile phones, 3 iPod docks, 1 TV and DVD player.
I used to be proud, back in the day, that we only had 1 TV and DVD player. Once in a while we would put a movie in and watch. That was the extent of the technology in our home. Now, of course, things have changed…
I have to say I’m quite embarrassed at the huge list of technological gadgets that we own. I’m concerned about the impact this is going to have (or already has had) on our children. Our oldest daughter is less and less inclined to pick up a book and read like she used to.
Our 18-month old knows if she touches the screen on the iPad it does something. She knows where the button is to turn it on, and what I find most disturbing is she knows if she slides the arrow on the screen, it unlocks it.
And, when I say to her in Spanish “vamos a llamar la abuela” (we’re going to call grandma) she walks into the dining room, where the computer is, and sits on the chair (we call her from our computer using Skype). Isn’t this all a bit too much?
My husband is the “tech geek” in our family and is constantly introducing new gadgets into our home. He recently purchased a new phone and was playing with it last night. He proudly showed me that if he could scan any book in the room using his new phone, it would show the cheapest place on the web to purchase it. Unimpressed, I shrugged my shoulders and opened up my book.
For me, it’s an ongoing battle. My family is consumed in a world ruled by technology where they are being taught that instant gratification is the norm. I’m on the other side, fighting and struggling to pull them away.
I try to lead by example; I turn off the TV and read a book. I turn my phone off in the evenings so as not to be disturbed by text messages and emails. I instituted “unplugged time” during the weekend and my 11 year-old cleverly reminded me that “ipads and iPods aren’t plugged in.”
What else can I do? Am I old-fashioned because I don’t want to read my novel on a kindle, but from a paperback book that I can proudly put on a bookshelf when completed?
I believe in keeping up with the times, but I also believe in creating a healthy balance. It’s achieving this healthy balance that will be my biggest challenge as a mother in the years to come.
What about you? What are your thoughts about kids and technology? And, do you think Jen is old-fashioned, as she asks?
This is an original post to World Moms Blog by Jen Warren of England in the United Kingdom. You can also find her on her blog at Children of Chorizo.
Photo credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/humboldthead/4796890364/. This photo has a creative commons attribution license.
I think technology, like anything else is good in moderation. It’s when it interferes with other activities such as reading and homework you may need to set some restictions.
I am like you, I refuse to get a Kindle just because I love holding a book in my hands. But on the flip side, I can’t get enough of my Droid and play with it a bit too much. Our house is full of the same gadgets as yours and my 15 year old is always either on his Droid, his laptop or XBox 360. Yet just when I start to worry, he will go out and run or lift weights in the garage. My 9 year old enjoys his Wii and DS but then also loves to take my exercise ball into the front yard and roll around on it. So, for now, it seems to be an even trade of time.
I caved and got an eReader recently, when I had birthday money burning a hole in my pocket. I love it, purely from a practical standpoint (saves space which is an issue for us, lightweight and compact, and therefore conducive to my daily commute on the subway). And I find that it does not detract from the reading experience.
We have all the gadgets as well (1 laptop, 1 netbook, 2 desktops, 1 MP3 player, the eReader, my BlackBerry, my GPS-enabled training watch, plus assorted TVs, DVD players, digital video cameras etc.) I do think about how all of the technology impacts our kids. James is almost 5 and he already has regular computer lab classes at school. George is seven and has autism, and he is already turning into my unofficial tech support guy at home. Both of them are more fond of computers and TV than I would like them to be, and like you, I am always trying to go against the tide.
Kirsten
I have a love/hate with relationship with technology! We have a Smartboard in our house that I use for home-school. My 2-year-old knows how to operate it. I actually love watching her use it.
On the cell phone front, I have a Tracfone. After I had my first daughter we canceled my cell phone, as we were paying $50 a month when I only used eight minutes of my plan. My husband got me the Tracfone. It is $10 a month, the minutes flow into the next month and there is no roaming or fees outside of the $10 a month. I even used it in St. Thomas to call my family when I was away at a friends wedding back in May. It worked, no problems. I have over 300 minutes stored up because I never use it.
My niece is a texting maniac! In the first two months of getting her cell phone (she is 11 by the way) she made 36,000 texts. How nuts is that?!?! Time for her mom and dad to take away that phone!
I myself love the internet and facebook but am so grateful that it did not exist when I was in high school and in college. I know how immature I was as a teenager, I am sure I would have posted some rather ridiculous things on my status that would make me cringe now. Once it’s in the internet universe you can’t take it back! Thankfully it wasn’t around for me back then!
I believe everything in moderation is fine. I hope when my girls are older that we all find a nice balance with the technology that surrounds us at that time!
Hi Jen,
I was determined to keep my daughter away from the t.v. the first year or two as suggested by the American Pediatrics, but I read a little bit more about it. Some t.v. was actually helping children with language if it was interactive. At the time I was teaching my daughter baby signs, and incorporating baby signs videos with our daily signing helped make things click. That experience opened the door for foreign language dvds to help create a better immersion experience in addition to real conversation and books.
Then, my daughter likes to play some games on the computer that my husband showed her. I wasn’t a fan at first, but I saw how some of them were challenging her mind in ways that the toys we had for here weren’t.
So, in the end, I’m a fan of everything in moderation! But, when it comes to books…I don’t think I’ll be able to give up paperbacks anytime soon. Checking to see how much I have to go by looking where my bookmark is in the thickness of the book is part of my reading experience that I’m just not ready to give up!
Veronica 🙂
My husband made me get a BlackBerry because I’m the anti-tech geek. He was afraid I would become the mother who had to ask her kids to program the VCR for her. Although I only know how to do about 20% of what my BlackBerry is capable of doing, I’m addicted to it and don’t know how I was able to function without it. I think that my husband has a point. As parents, we have to stay up to date with the gadgets out there, if only to know what our kids are doing!
Healthy balance is definitely the key! This holiday season made me realize that I hate when technology takes away from the tradition of some things…like when my high-tech friends or family members start sending their Christmas cards electronically instead of the “old-fashioned” or traditional way — paper, envelope, stamp, and mail. I’m all for reducing waste and saving trees, but electronic Christmas cards just don’t seem right.