A lot of parents today blame technology for being a bad influence on their kids. Be it those violent games or those expensive cell phones, parents feel that technology has brought a gap between them and their kids. But technology, in fact, can bridge that gap between you and your child. All you need to do is embrace and accept technology as a necessary evil!
Let's see how technology makes parenting a breeze.
Technology at School
Many quality schools today offer parents a complete online report of their child's performance. This information is updated on a weekly basis and can be checked by parents via the Internet. You can also keep an eye on your child's attendance this way, ensuring he does not bunk school. Also, technology has enabled teachers to directly inform the parents about issues that the child faces, if any.
Also, interactive/multimedia learning has picked up in a big way in many schools in India. Children have reacted in a very positive way to this multimedia-rich method of schooling. With the help of technology, children have learnt to really enjoy their education! Also, technology also makes it much easier for you to help your child with his home assignments and projects. Many online resources host a large amount of data in a systematic manner, making it very easy to filter and segregate information.
Home Supervision
Installing CCTV cameras or closed circuit television cameras has become very popular with parents today. And rightfully so, because CCTVs help you keep an eye on your child or his babysitter at all times. A lot of new CCTVs today also allow remote access, which means you can log on to the internet and keep an eye on your child via any computer. This comes as a big relief to parents who work or travel a lot, as they can check on their little one when they want to.
Also, technology has made it possible to speak to your child whenever you wish to. The simple cell phone came as a huge relief to parents, who realized that they could now rest easy about their child's location, as all they had to do now was call! Though cell phones are often blamed for spoiling kids, the truth is that it came with a lot of advantages too. Also, cell phones today come with GPS locators which means you know where your child is at all times.
Technology in Daily Life
How about the technology you use in daily life? There are a range of things you use that indirectly affect the quality of your parenting. For example, various electrical appliances actually ensure that you have more time for your child. Though your child stays glued to the computer all day, a little bit of monitoring could ensure that he stays away from the bad stuff and in fact learns a whole lot of things online. If you actively are a part of his daily interaction with technology, you would realize that he gains more than he loses.
Parents need to realize that technology is not a bad thing, only the misuse of it is. And as a parent it is important that you be a part of the technology your child uses, so that you can teach him how to utilize it best. It is not fair to put an innocent child on the driver's seat and then accuse him of heading in wrong directions. So go ahead and give technology a chance. After all, it has moved from being a luxury to a necessity!
How comfortable are you with technology? Do you think it has made your child more distant? What technology do you approve of? To share your tips views and experiences, click here.
