We live in a world where everyone voluntarily carries a powerful tracking device with us everywhere we go -- a cell phone. Most of us wouldn’t dream of giving it up. We love that “getting lost” has become a thing of the past. We enjoy being able to tag our location in travel photos with a single tap. We’ve gotten used to the luxury of taking an Uber any time of the day or night. There’s no doubt location tracking has incredible benefits. But in the realm of parenting it can also create tension, resentment, depression, and some downright nasty arguments. Teenagers can feel controlled, spied … [Read more...]
Parent-by-Numbers: How to Develop Family Tech-Life Balance
A recent obituary hit me surprisingly hard: “Paint-by-Numbers Maestro Dan Robbins Dies at 93.” The mere mention of the paint-by-numbers inventor transported me back to my childhood dining room table where I would sit for hours engrossed in my latest "masterpiece.” You could say I was addicted to that low-tech pursuit. I thought of that addiction while reading Adam Alter’s recent book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. Thirty years from now, whose obituary might send today’s kids back to a passion or hobby in our current homes? Some kind of … [Read more...]
We Bought Our 6th Grader a Cell Phone — Deal With It
At the end of this past summer, my wife and I bought our sixth grader a cell phone. Right now, many of you are groaning. You're probably thinking, “A sixth grader? Really?!?” Yep, we did, but, here’s the good news. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. We bought our daughter a cell phone for a few different reasons… Because I’m no longer a full-time stay-at-home dad, there will be occasions where she will be a latchkey kid. It won’t happen often, but when it does, it will be nice for her to call us (side note we don’t have a landline … remember those?) She got her Safe Sitter … [Read more...]
Increase Screen Time for Kids Because the World Embraces Technology
Whenever a new study or article about children and screen time is published, I hunt through it for the typical bias against technology I've come to expect from modern parenting culture. Not a day goes by without somebody complaining about kids and their computer/cellphone/tablet/TV gaming use. The kids are too young! They are getting too much exposure! They don't spend enough time building tree forts anymore!. Remember back when so many people thought violent video games or rap lyrics were ruining children? We all lived through that and, thankfully, hardly anybody thinks a first-person … [Read more...]