I love living in a digital age. I think technology is absolutely amazing. The things we can do now are things our ancestors could never even have imagined. Things I couldn’t have even imagined 10 years ago! I mean, I know for a fact that I walked 14,399 steps yesterday, give or take. My Fitbit told me so! I know how many hours I slept, I know what my cousin, who lives 800 miles away, ate for breakfast, and I know what temperature my living room is even when I’m working at a coffee shop. So yeah, technology is cool, right? And while it’s not all for the betterment of the world, I’m of the opinion that, for the most part, technology gets kind of a bad rap.
How many pregnant people do you know who say, “oh, no, my child will never watch TV, no no no.” Yeah, I was one of those people too, and with my first I actually tried pretty hard for the first year or so to keep her eyes off of screens. But eventually, sooner or later, kiddos want to watch TV and once you have your second, TV becomes pretty important. I mean, being able to make a pot of coffee with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse blaring in the background is basically true bliss to a frazzled mom shushing a newborn and corralling a two year-old all day. Let’s face it, at that point, if both kids are alive and fed, then that’s a success. A little Mickey Mouse isn’t going to kill anybody.
As my kids get older, I want them to understand technology. I wasn’t one to put an iPad in a crib, but at 2 and 4 they both know how to use one, and they both know what to do on a computer as well. They need to, not only for my sanity, but because when they go to school they will be expected to know how to use a computer. They will have to take tests on one. They know mommy works on her computer. Why shouldn’t they be able to look at it and learn about how it works? Aside from the dangers of sticky fingers and spilled milk, I’m all for it.
I know all about the studies regarding screen time and I am by no means suggesting that you use your TV or computer as a babysitter. Nor am I suggesting you let your kids zone out for hours and hours upon end or stop encouraging them to go outside and play and use their imaginations. For crying out loud, don’t strap your phone to your baby’s forehead and turn on Breaking Bad.
I’m just saying, it’s okay to let loose a little. Plus, technology is cool.
So let’s get excited about it! Let’s show little girls what a motherboard looks like. What it does. I know for a fact no one ever thought to show me one. I want my girls to read books, but I want them to learn how to code, too. I want them to know that they could be the one to invent the next awesome app. To start the next Google or Facebook. To be the #bosslady!
The screen time debate rages on among parents, but I’m just not down with dumping on technology as a whole. Once my kiddos get to bed, I’m going to zone out to Real Housewives of Orange County WHILE I have my laptop on my lap, my phone right next to me, and the baby monitor on scan. And I’m going to like it.
Thank you for writing this article. Being a woman in a very male-dominated technology field, I got my interest for computers and video games at a young age. I monitor my kids’ screen times too, but we enjoy cartoons as a family and they love telling me about how they got further in a game they are playing. We are a technology family and with more fields requiring technical aptitude, I am not sorry at all about it.
Amy:: Thanks for sharing your experience, and for being a woman in technology! We have a few women on our team in tech, and it’s great to have other moms from our professional field as part of our community!