Parenting is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world; however, it can also be one of the most challenging. The way your child experiences and interacts with the world is vastly different from how you did at their age, and that is mostly down to how technology has progressed.
It is difficult to picture life without smartphones, streaming services, and apps now, but there was a time when we got by without all this stuff. So, how has this type of technology changed parenting? There are several answers to this question, but you will have to read on to find out.
Screen Time
Firstly, most smart technology comes with a screen which is why the common term for using these items constitutes as screen time. This term wasn’t used much back when modern parents were young. They may have had a limited time to watch T.V in the evening, but that was it. Now, screen time is a very important term in modern parenting.
Phone and tablet screens can be good for your child. They provide them with a way to learn and interact with their peers. However, there have been some concerns about children getting too much screen time in recent years. This means that parents now have to monitor their kid’s phone usage and encourage them to play outside. Young kids have always enjoyed technology, but now it is time to set limits early, so they grow up with it responsibly.
Phone Tracking
Tracking your child seems like an extremely negative type of behavior. It would have been strange to think of your parents following you around when you were young or checking in on where you are at all times. However, things are very different now.
Some people have suggested that child tracking has become the norm because we are more aware of the dangers they face. While there may be some truth to this idea, the main reason that child tracking is so common is that it is simple with smart technology. Certain apps can pinpoint the location of your child using the GPS location on their phone. This means you can put your mind at ease without intruding on their personal space. Child tracking may have seemed like a ridiculous idea twenty years ago, but times have changed a lot since then.
Homework Apps
Your child is taught about this type of technology in the classroom because they will need it in their future job role. Unfortunately, that does not give you a free pass to stay behind on these matters. Every child still receives homework at the end of the day, only now the tools required to complete it are very different.
Modern teachers use app technology to distribute homework to their pupils. This is because it is easier to mark, give feedback, and track a child’s progress using this method. Therefore, you will need to learn how this technology works if are to help them with their schoolwork. It isn’t too difficult, but it does mean that you will need to stay on top of new classroom tools as time goes on.
Everyday Activities
There is a lot that goes into being a parent, and you will find that smart technology is cropping up all over the place. It is there when you head to the shops, and the playground, and you will even find a smart cleaning car wash in locations across America. This means that parents will need to know about this tech when they are first teaching their children to interact with the world around them.
Children learn by watching their parents, and these screens make it easier to show them what you are doing. Therefore, it is becoming less of a hassle to perform everyday activities with your kids in tow. In fact, it comes with an educational bonus.
Capturing Moments
One of the first advancements to occur in what we now know as smart technology was when phone providers started including a camera as a standard function. Back then, these pictures were pixelated and difficult to reproduce. However, they provided an alternative to lugging a heavy camera around.
Fast-forward twenty years, and smartphone technology have almost perfected this idea. Everyone now has a high-quality camera within arm’s reach. What’s more, these pictures can be quickly uploaded to the web and printed straight away. This means that every parent can capture moments in an instant, creating an accurate timeline of their child’s formative years.
Advice
It is hard for a lot of parents to admit but, sometimes, they don’t have all the answers. It is perfectly normal to encounter a situation with your child and not know how to proceed. They may get in trouble at school, disobey orders, or display mild symptoms of an unrecognizable illness. In previous years, parents would have to come up with a solution themselves, forever wrestling with whether they have made the correct decision. Nowadays, you have the answer to all these quandaries in your pocket.
Smartphones allow parents quick access to the web, a place where hundreds, if not, thousands of parents can congregate to share advice and answer questions. Every child is different, of course, but speaking with someone that has gone through a similar experience can really help you to make the right decisions. Your kids may not realize it, but the internet they love so much has created a hive mind of parents willing to help each other at a moment’s notice. There isn’t much that can get past this many concerned pairs of eyes.
Conclusion
Parenting is difficult no matter what age of technology you happen to live in. Fortunately, it seems that smart tech has brought with it an equal amount of assistance as it has new challenges. The best thing to do is role with these changes and continue doing the best job you can. Every parent is in the same boat in 2022, so try to follow this advice to work out how to navigate parenting in an era of smart technology.
