To a certain extent I think that this is even more so necessary in today’s world where there is a technological connection for most people from virtually the moment we wake up until the time we go to bed.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with using technology as an escape, perhaps to listen to music, play a game or read something online but I often wonder if sometimes we’d be better off just totally unplugging ourselves, even for short periods of time.
I had a conversation with my girlfriend not too long ago and she mentioned how she had noticed so many children being handed iPads or other devices on the subway by a frustrated and weary parent. It caused me to think that she was right. As a parent, I can understand and appreciate the desperation we can have with a finicky child. However, I’m really wondering if using technology as a pacifier is such a good idea.
I do think back at earlier years though and I remember a time where the parent would be taking the child on their lap to read with them or read to them, or perhaps to invent and play a travel game with the child. Call me “old school” but I think that it’s not such a bad thing to have the parent being the source of relief for the child.
It’s probably not so different from when many of us were children and we were plunked down in front of the television – the electronic baby-sitter of the day. For the most part we turned out okay, but with today’s technology at every turn of our daily lives, the temptation to rely on the technology is difficult to resist.
What message do we send to our children when they are upset, frustrated or tired and we respond by handing them the electronic device instead of paying attention to them and spending that time with them? Is this the message that we want to give them, that the best way to deal with the stress is to reach for the device?
It’s a difficult road being a parent and I’m not naïve to think that I’m not guilty of the above. In some respects a parent will – and should – use whatever tools are at their disposal to help with parenting. I’ve had those days when it is absolutely necessary to steal an hour and keep one of my kids engaged with technology, but I’d like to think that it was just enough to allow me to regroup and recharge my batteries. A parent that selectively uses technology isn’t a bad parent; sometimes it will help them to become better parents as they can have that break in the day.
I suppose that I’d feel more comfortable with this technology if I saw a parent and a child at least sharing this technology together. I’d much rather see a mother and a son on the subway cuddled in together as they play some game or the child reads a story to the mother. At least then, the parent is there, in the moment and I think that’s what this article is really all about.
