Parenting in the Age of the Internet
Getting Active by Jennifer Cooper
In 1980, my dad built our first family computer. It was beige with a black
screen and a green cursor that blinked. It was a beast of a machine by today’s
standards. You couldn’t do much on it, except some very basic programming. I
remember the thrill when he brought home a floppy disk with a brand new game on
it, Pong!
As I grew, so did my use of the computer. As a kid I created newsletters for kids, crafted stories and played games that taught me how to type. In one particular game, letters would fall to earth from space and you had to hit the letter on the keyboard before it landed. I credit it for helping me ace typing in high school.
I grew up with technology, so I’ve never had a real fear of it. That is, until I had children. Now I worry not only about things like cyber-bullying, or disclosing too much information, but whether or not technology will ruin my children’s ability to focus or have one-on-one conversations.
Let’s face it; we’ve come a long way since the days of Pong.
As a blogger, I’m aware of the power of technology to connect people and ideas. It’s an incredible thing. But how will it affect my kids? We’re in a brave new world of parenting: Parenting in the age of the internet.
Faced with these unknowns, my husband and I are trying to do some things that may help our children develop a healthy respect for the internet.
First, I try to model appropriate behavior myself. That means not getting distracted and checking my phone or computer during mealtime or family time.
Second, my husband and I have ongoing conversations about the internet with our kids—it’s a tool, use it wisely. I’ve also asked what they’re learning about internet safety at school. I was surprised to hear that some of my daughter’s friends already have Facebook pages; a few of them had no privacy settings at all.
Third, my kids aren’t allowed to have unsupervised computer time. Not yet, anyway. Someone once gave me this advice about raising kids in the digital age: keep the computer where everyone can see it. That way, you know if your child accidentally stumbles onto a page or is giving away too much information. So far that’s what we do.
But I don’t want to scare my kids either. The truth is the internet can be an incredible resource. I have connected with friends around the world. And yes! In real life, not just on the computer. It helped me feel less alone when I had two young children and no friends nearby who had children themselves. And the inspiration I get from blogs and sites is invaluable.
I’m sure things will become more complicated as the kids get older and technology advances, but I’m hoping that laying a bit of groundwork early on will pay off down the road.
For more playful stories from Jennifer visit www.classic-play.com.
For more information similar to the above, please visit http://www.goldfishsmiles.com/
As I grew, so did my use of the computer. As a kid I created newsletters for kids, crafted stories and played games that taught me how to type. In one particular game, letters would fall to earth from space and you had to hit the letter on the keyboard before it landed. I credit it for helping me ace typing in high school.
I grew up with technology, so I’ve never had a real fear of it. That is, until I had children. Now I worry not only about things like cyber-bullying, or disclosing too much information, but whether or not technology will ruin my children’s ability to focus or have one-on-one conversations.
Let’s face it; we’ve come a long way since the days of Pong.
As a blogger, I’m aware of the power of technology to connect people and ideas. It’s an incredible thing. But how will it affect my kids? We’re in a brave new world of parenting: Parenting in the age of the internet.
Faced with these unknowns, my husband and I are trying to do some things that may help our children develop a healthy respect for the internet.
First, I try to model appropriate behavior myself. That means not getting distracted and checking my phone or computer during mealtime or family time.
Second, my husband and I have ongoing conversations about the internet with our kids—it’s a tool, use it wisely. I’ve also asked what they’re learning about internet safety at school. I was surprised to hear that some of my daughter’s friends already have Facebook pages; a few of them had no privacy settings at all.
Third, my kids aren’t allowed to have unsupervised computer time. Not yet, anyway. Someone once gave me this advice about raising kids in the digital age: keep the computer where everyone can see it. That way, you know if your child accidentally stumbles onto a page or is giving away too much information. So far that’s what we do.
But I don’t want to scare my kids either. The truth is the internet can be an incredible resource. I have connected with friends around the world. And yes! In real life, not just on the computer. It helped me feel less alone when I had two young children and no friends nearby who had children themselves. And the inspiration I get from blogs and sites is invaluable.
I’m sure things will become more complicated as the kids get older and technology advances, but I’m hoping that laying a bit of groundwork early on will pay off down the road.
For more playful stories from Jennifer visit www.classic-play.com.
For more information similar to the above, please visit http://www.goldfishsmiles.com/
