Technology and Toddlers

If you are like me who is a kid of the 90's, don't you think we are the best parents for this techie generation of kids? I believe we are the few lucky ones who got to experience the evolution of technology, I always say I could not have been born at a better time. 

We started watching on a black and white television then suddenly our cartoon shows had colors with matching sliding cabinet doors to protect our TV from dust! and remember the first day we didn't have to stand up and turn the knob to change between the two channels available because we already had a REMOTE CONTROL! Then came the LCD, LED TV to the point that the government is urging us to throw away that vintage CRT TVs, because it can no longer process digital channels.

This is why I believe some parents nowadays do not allow their kids to touch any computer gadgets because we want them to experience those times when we survived and thrived without those techie stuff. 

But should we or should we not? That is the question many of us have in mind these days.

I know this topic can be controversial, before I begin let me tell you that I am NOT starting an argument here, I am not promoting Google or Youtube, I am not saying I'm right and this is what you should do. I respect how your raise your kids with all my heart because I know how a daunting task it is. I am just sharing a humble opinion that may help you make a sound decision.

My son is 4 years old and yes, we allow him to watch TV, he can actually control it with a smart remote, one time my techie genius girl friend was babysitting him when suddenly the tv conked out and she was surprised when my son told him "tita the tv crashed!" like an engineer reporting a bug (We never taught him that!). We let him watch YouTube in his Nexus Tablet, he plays Angry Birds, PokoPang by LINE with his ninongs and ninangs and at one point he tried Flappy Bird too. At first he watched tv for an unlimited time, it was helpful for me because Sponge Bob became my cheapest nanny while I do other housework until I observed that too much of it made him cranky and his mind became as dull as Sponge Bob. And so husband and I imposed a 30 minute a day time limit for tablets and an hour for TV watching plus we screen the shows he can watch. 

I've accepted the fact that they now live in a totally different generation from us, today technology is already part and parcel of the society they live in. We are software engineers, we live, breathe and create technology so we know there's no stopping into the future where information travels faster than lightning. During our time we learn ABC's for 4 hours, today in that same amount of time, they can already learn ABC, 123, geometry and geography altogether. They say kids nowadays have low attention span, maybe they just process information faster and as a result, they have a lot of extra time on their tiny hands.  The best thing we can do as a parent is guide and teach them how to use their time and this technology properly. We cannot deprive them of something that's already an essential part of the reality they are living in. Let's face it, it's going to be a more COMPETITIVE world for them out there, we have to condition their minds to be able to process information fast and effectively. 

But I believe that BALANCE is the key here. I have friends who like us give time limits for iPad usage and let their kids play and answer workbooks for the rest of the day. A friend's 4 yr old son is already playing the piano very well but he watches Youtube too about Disney Cars and toys. One smart father deleted all gaming apps in his son's iPad and replaced it with learning apps instead. Our neighbor only let his 4 year old son use his desktop computer with ABC Mouse Learning App and just recently approved Angry Birds for him to play. 

For husband and I, instead of being too strict, we have other options available for them. You know kids, the more you restrict them, the more curious they become. So we taught them the wonders of creating things with Play Doh and Legos, like yesterday my 2 year old son recreated a Lego House he has watched in Youtube! I let them go crazy with their colors and paints, I let them use furnitures in the house to create "machines", it may be a pain to clean up but if it encourages their creativity, I don't mind breaking my back picking up their mess. There's 24 hours in a day, I'm sure an hour or two with technology doesn't hurt while you let them play and explore other things for the rest of their waking hours.

they made a car launcher out of whatever

I let my son explore different topics on an online learning app, his dad even taught him to search thru voice command, but I also read hard copy books about planets, animals, etc.. to him so he will know that in the real world there are many options to learn. Unlike in our time when we only had books and encyclopedias, today the world is made up of matrix of digital information, if we look at it as glass half-full, it means there's a lot more ways now to learn and most of the time for free.

Math learning using the old-school blackboard (we ran out of chalk)

An open mind and time for the kids, can make them tech savvy but still keeping that creative minds we enjoyed while growing up. They can never play street games the way we did before, there are times they prefer to play with their computers or watch Jake the Pirate inside the house and that's when you invite them to take a walk outside the house, go to the park, show them birds, ants and worms much like how we discovered nature before so they will learn that there's fun under the sun. Toddler years is the time they are so in love with their parents so I'm sure they will prefer doing things with you than spend time with his techie gadgets. 

I know there are studies regarding the effects of technology with kids, I take it with a grain of salt because as parents we still know what's best. All I know is their future is going to be competitive and how you want them to develop an edge is all up to you.

note: I didn't tackle the use of social media here because my sons are still toddlers, I will worry about that in the years to come. For now, if you have a teenage kid and you think he/she is so good for not posting anything on Facebook, well I suggest you read about Snap Chat. ;p