Staying Linked to Your Kids
By Julia A. Keirns
(This article was published at ChildrensMall.com in April, 2001)
Whether we want to admit it or not, technology has changed our world permanently. We can never go back to the days of no electricity, no television, no radio, or no computers. We can never go back to the so-called “simple life” of the past. You could probably move out into the middle of nowhere and pretend that you live in the past, but that wouldn’t remove the technology from the world. We, as families and parents, must accept the inevitable, change with the times, and stay connected to our children.
Being middle-aged now, I was raised with a certain amount of technology. I was not sheltered by any means. We had indoor toilets, television – color to boot, stereos, and Atari. Therefore, it has not been too difficult for me to keep up with the changes. We have had to transfer from 8 tracks to cassettes to CD’s, and from beta to VHS, and I suppose eventually to DVD’s, not to mention from Atari to Nintendo to Super Nintendo to Sega to whatever comes next. I took to the computer like a fish in water. My husband enjoys a good Nintendo game as much as the teenagers do. By keeping current with the technology of today’s world, we have been able to keep current with our kids. Staying connected is more important today than ever before. Our children can easily get lost in the modern technology if we let them.
I will be the first to admit that modern technology is probably to blame for a lot of societies problems, faults and downfalls. But, it has also accomplished many great and wonderful things. Men not only have walked on the moon, but also are now living in space. Computers can translate books into foreign languages with a great amount of ease. This is a great tool for Christians translating the Bible into languages of people who have never heard the word of God before. And because of satellites and television we can view tragedies around the world as they happen, and respond immediately to those in need. We can keep in touch with friends and family around the world as easily as if they lived next door.
Yes, technology is good. But, in the wrong hands it can be bad. Our children are learning to have no conscience of anything being wrong anymore. Anything and everything you can possibly imagine is acceptable in this technological world. The violence and sexual content of television, music, games and the Internet is raw and totally unacceptable by common standards, yet allowed anyway. We need to be informed, stay connected, and know what our children are doing and viewing. Only by being involved, keeping up and knowing personally how to use all this technology can we stay connected to their world and help them navigate it.
Let’s not let our kids get lost in technology. We should not be letting the television or the computer babysit our children. They need human contact and love.
So go ahead, become a technological family. Don’t be afraid of it. Keep up with the times lest you be left behind. Get hooked up to the Internet, but then learn how to navigate it safely. Then you can be the ones to teach your children how to safely navigate it. Learn to play that Nintendo game with your kids and keep track of what kind of games they are asking for. Go ahead and get an email address. Set it up together as a family. One way or another you must spend time with your kids and stay connected to them. I don’t see things going backwards to the ways of the past anytime soon, so we might as well leap forward and do things the technological way. Kids of today were not born 40 years ago. They don’t know how it used to be. This world is all they know. So, let’s get with it as parents and keep up and stay linked to our kids.