The Trouble with Technology and Parenting

I recently saw a commercial by Kindle that made me feel pretty angry! Apparently, children LOVE to play with tablets, so there is a feature on the new Kindle called FreeTime. This feature is used to set a time limit for your child and then locks them out with a pop-up that says “All done for today!”. This timer can be set differently for books, games, and videos. The end of the commercial states “it let’s them know when they’re time is up... so you don’t have to”. Can we phase ourselves out as parents any more!?!?

I am not a super strict mom when it comes to technology. Pipsqueak watches Mickey Mouse some mornings and occasionally may glance at Four Weddings on the tv while we play on the floor. I have the PBS Kids app on my phone, and some mornings when I feel exhausted, I bring her to bed with me and let her watch a few minutes of it while I close my eyes. She’s a baby, so 5 minutes is a long time for her! Sometimes when I check my email, I put her on my lap and let her play with the desk and the keyboard. I am not worried about her watching too much tv or looking at screens too much because she doesn’t have the attention span- but mostly because I am always monitoring it and always with her! Why? Because I am her parent, and that is my job.

Technology is making it wayyyy too easy to ignore our children. Although my child is still so young, she knows when I am looking at my phone and not paying attention to her. As soon as I drop it and look at her, she stops fussing and smiles at me. They are so smart!

I will NEVER allow myself to be the mom who sits at a restaurant and puts a tablet in front of my child to “entertain” them. They are sitting in a restaurant with a hundred different people, noises, and smells to discover- that can be their entertainment. How are we going to raise well adjusted, friendly, and people/world conscious children if we are always sticking a screen in front of their face? How will they ever learn to sit still and wait quietly at the dentist’s office without screaming that they want to watch a movie?

These technologies are brand-new to society, so we have obviously been thriving without being entertained every moment. My mother had 5 children within 8 years, and we had no choice but to be well-behaved. I remember going into the bank QUIETLY, the youngest child being only a year old. We were expected to sit on the floor against the wall (in birth order) and wait patiently and quietly while she did her transactions. And we did. If we happened to get a little rowdy, she would give us the “evil eye” and that would shut us down. It’s not that she never allowed playing or silliness, it’s just about an appropriate time and place. We would go to the park afterwards and run and yell our wiggles out! But my mother was constantly monitoring and intentionally teaching us to become well-adjusted and well-behaved adults. Isn't that our job?

So I BEG YOU, please don’t allow technology to run your life, cause you to ignore your child, or let it parent your child. We should HAVE to tell them how much, when to stop, and provide them with other fun activities, because we are their parents! Can I say it enough? IT’S OUR JOB. If I had a Kindle set with a timer, how would I ever know where my child was or what she was doing? We need to be INVOLVED in their lives, not distant and bothered all the time. Remember- we chose to bring these little ones into the world- it’s only fair that they receive an attentive and caring upbringing. There are so many other reasons I feel this way, but we will leave those for another time :)/

And just for accountability reasons- I am writing this blog post as I listen to my husband play guitar to our child in our bedroom. He is focusing on her and enjoying her presence- I have no intention of using this blog to interfere with my child’s well being!

Here’s to being involved, caring, loving, and never ignoring our wee ones.