DOT COM CHILDREN: Raising a child in the new millennium

This article was published in The Mindful Word journal of engaged living (http://www.themindfulword.org)

It’s been 13 years since the explosion of the dot com era. We live in a technological age where iPads, Netflix, online ads, and 3-D imaging occur everywhere in our lives. The need to disengage and have quiet time is essential for the adult mind to find peacefulness. Even more so it is essential for children to be taken off the iPad and Netflix to get the chance to sit and read and talk with mom and dad. Why should we plug in at home when everywhere else there is information all around us? Sometimes just relaxing is the best thing for us to do and role model for our children.

I’m a mother of a nearly three year old. She loves to chat, to know why something is the way it is and to pretend play with her toys. A year ago my husband got us the iPad, which was a nice surprise for me. I spent a lot of time on it and so did my daughter. We watched movies on Netflix and she played with apps aimed at educating toddlers. Sure it was handy… you can even bring it to bed with you, but after a year of it I was pooped out.

Why you ask? Well, the answer is because it took me away from doing the practical things I needed to do. Things like playing with my daughter, taking her outside, combing her hair and playing hide and seek. These are the things we do in real life. I also gained freedom from the headaches that come from watching images move on a screen.

I still “love” technology and realize its importance. I just know it’s as important to spend quality time unwinding as a family. Going for a walk on the lake shore and playing in the bath together are those treasured moments we like to recall in the years ahead. I won’t have a treasure seeking moment of looking back on my child playing on the iPad. When I put it away on the shelf, where it’s been sitting for nearly a week, I get to watch her more, being the alive individual she is.

Playing, wondering, seeking and expressing.

Technology yes. Moments together, priceless.

The post DOT COM CHILDREN: Raising a child in the new millennium appeared first on The Mindful Word.

Sign up for a free subscription to The Mindful Word\’s quarterly digital magazine at http://www.themindfulword.org/subscribe