Have you heard of iPotty? The Consumer Electronics Show in 2013 unveiled a portable potty trainer that comes with an iPad holder to keep a child entertained during potty-training moments. I’m not sure if this invention is necessary. It seems more like a tool for our already prevalent parenting predicament, and will make us lazy parents, given that many homes have practically left child-rearing to electronic gadgets.
Technology isn’t a replacement for parenting or for personal interactions, but leave it to us human beings to abuse any good thing that comes our way. Tsk Tsk.
Like food, it’s up to us to choose the whats and hows and know the whens and whys. And as parents, it is our responsibility to set the rules and guidelines. It is all about attaining the perfect balance and understanding how technology can be used to an advantage. Let’s talk about education for a minute. Look at the wide selection of apps one could use to teach children math and vocabulary for example. Getting connected with libraries and other resources for research has never been easier and homework can be completed with so much motivation and ease. As a parent, I have access to my children’s homework, progress reports and can effectively communicate with the teachers when needed. Think of how much paper we are saving when we can actually read what is urgent and important on a website instead of going through piles of colored sheets that are sent home every day containing vital information that lands up in the recycle bin.
I can go on and on about the benefits of using visual technology such as Skype, and how my family can connect with other family members in different parts of the world and bridge the geographical gap. While it can never be a replacement for the touch and feel experience, it is certainly a more interpersonal association than a simple phonecall.
And so to think that we do not need technology in this day and age is naive, perhaps a denial combined with a lack of willingness to transition from the more familiar times. It provides an enhancement to our everyday lives, the doses of which need to be determined by our personal situations. I don’t think we should deter our children from embracing technology, just keep a check on their indulgence. But resistance, my friends, is futile…