I usually get those glaring eyes when I dine and I let Lucas watch my iPhone with baby apps as we eat. I can hear whispers n judgmental comments behind me. Perhaps, I used to give glares to other parents too, before I had Lucas... now, I understand perfectly why parents give their toddlers gadgets to keep the kids occupied. Sometimes we just need that brief moment to get stuffs done.
Being engineer parents, it is a tad hard to prevent my kid from being exposed to all the different gadgets around. We probably have them all, if not most. Having to be parents with telecommunications & computer hardware and software backgrounds, we should know better than any average parents what are the pros and cons of exposing technology to children.
Making Time
Being a stay-at-home-mum i need to find ways to keep my son occupied so I can chores and work done. Educational programs on TV or iPad is definitely my trusted partner when it comes to keeping Lucas occupied. Every morning, its routine that he will sit in front of the tv, on his trusty fisher price seat while having his breakfast. During that time slot, I will be able to prepare ingredients to be cooked for lunch as well as laundry.
Keeping up with modernisation
Nowadays, everyone including my parents want to be part of the IT world. Majority of the kids know what is an iPad. Even ordering food in restaurants uses iPad. Using a gadget is a learning process itself.
When I was 5 or 6, I played with my first computer one of the very first PC generation. I used to play games like math magic, wheels of fortune & alphabet games on my Aunt's computer via large floppy disk, followed the command sheet and running commands like auto.exe or auto.bat. Once I cried my heart out when I forgot to take out the disk and the comp won't start up... I learn it the hard way that gadgets are dumb machines and human are the brains. I was exposed to computers way before my teenage years... Do I have issues in social development? Am I socially impaired? Erm, I think not. Hahaha. I used to be a girl guide, I can swim, I can play the organ, I craft and I definitely have a life indoors and outdoors.
Ironically, technology keeps us closer and further at the same time! My husband and I will always find time to bring our kiddo out to the park for walks or cycling, etc. We will try to talk and read to him as much as we can. We sometimes do forget and get too engross with our gadgets but Lucas will feel left out and hit our gadgets away to remind us to pay attention to him. I guess we got a lot to learn from our little guy!
Being safe
If you want to expose your kids (or your parents) to technology, be responsible parents (or kids). Educate them about safety and the dangers of the big world out there. Mind you, it's more than just putting up the best firewalls but handling strangers and dangers in the virtual world are no small matters. Choose the age suitable apps & tv programs for your kids so they can learn & have fun at the same time.
Health matters
People always comment about kids vision will be affected when using TVs or IPad. This is true, & applies if your children are exposed to the screen for long hours, close distance and incorrect monitor settings. Therefore, I will always make sure the brightness of the screen is adjusted correctly to the surroundings. This should apply to adults as well. Also, I will make sure the distance between Lucas and the TV is few metres away.
Radio frequency... Ah, this is a complicated topic. Regardless how we try to minimise our usage, RF is everywhere. You cannot deny that you need it. Without RF, we will not be so well informed about everything on the spot. It changes our lifestyle for sure. So there's nothing much we can do.
We try to make it a practice, before going to bed, gadgets like phones will be set to airline mode and placed a distance to avoid close proximity with RF exposure.
Yes, technology helps us getaway with cranky children for a brief moment, technology helps us educate our children if used responsibly, it can be our friend and not our enemy.
It all comes down to how you control the usage of the gadgets. I believe the key word is moderation. Use technology to help and grow your children. Choose programs wisely and set a duration of usage per day. Be aware about the existing cons if misused and be responsible to protect your family members both old and young from the dangers of technology. With that in mind, I'm sure you will learn to embrace technology as your friend and not your foe.
Cheers. :)
