Balancing Technology with Parenting

It use to be that children would go outside and play.  They would be forced to use their imaginations to find creative ways to enjoy their time with their friends. In that lifetime, parents could walk through the toy store see a toy or two that made some sort of sound, or movement (those were the really cool toys). Now days just about every toy on the shelves does something. It appears to me that we have found a way to make play lazy.

It's my belief that in someways we are taking the creativity out of play by leaving less to our children's imagination. How will this impact them in the future, well we'll have to wait and see, but I suspect it will in someway inhibit their problem solving skills.

As a professional geek and parent I'm often worry about how much technology is too much for my children, and if I limit them too much from access to items like cell phones, laptops, computers, etc... that I might be taking away their ability to be competitive with their peers.

At what age should kids have access to certain tools?  Should my 9 year old daughter have a cell phone?  It can be perceived as a positive tool for parenting by having instant access to speak with my child to figure out where she is, what she is doing, or just connecting with her.  It can also be perceived as a negative with respect to a constant distraction from what they are suppose to be doing such as paying attention in class, or in some cases cause a social dilemma for parents who either don't have the resources to give their child whatever piece of technology that is out, or more to the point don't want to.

Let's be honest, most of us have seen CEO's, Directors, Lawyer's,Doctors, etc... sitting in meeting after meeting paying more attention to their phone than the topic at hand---If the adults cannot handle technology appropriately, how can we ask children to?  (and yes I've done this on occasion myself unfortunately, which is totally rude and inappropriate)

My 1st and 3rd grader both have online homework that they are required to do on the computer at least once a week and I'm not sure how I really feel about that.

For now I'll just have to watch my children  like a hawk when they are online to keep them from experiencing the positives and negatives of social networking which I don't feel they are emotionally ready for.

Terrafugia Transition

I look back at all the stories I've heard from my great grandmother and I have a hard time comprehending the changes that she experienced in her lifetime.  She experienced covered wagons, the birth of the telephone, radio, and television, and computers. She witnessed the first cars on the road, a man walking on the moon, and microwavable meals.

How on earth can our time compare with that. I read today in the news that Google has been approved to test 6 driver less vehicles in Nevada.  That technology isn't far off and I'm still not sure I'll ever be trust a car driving itself.

Now the FAA has a approved a flying car---check this out:

to read more about this cool car