It seems that we are definitely living in the age of technology. Nearly every single person in the United States has taken a trip down the information highway at some point or another in their lives.
The truth of the matter is that more than eighty percent of the homes in the U.S. have at least one computer however; more than half of those homes have more than two computers. If you include cell phones, iPads and other such technologies, nearly ninety-eight percent of the population has some form of access to the internet. These numbers are absolutely astounding and prove that this is the age of technology.
Children and Technology
Children are exposed to technology every day. You'd have to be raising kids in a cave or under a rock to keep them from being exposed to it. Even the Amish people in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other parts of the country have cell phones nowadays. Of course, they don't use them quite as much as the rest of the world does but they still do have them.
It is important that everyone raising children allows them to embrace the wonderful world of technology. From the time your child is three years old, you should be sitting with him and teaching him how to use the mouse to make things happen. This time will also help you to build stronger child parent relationships while educating your child.
There are some great computer games geared for children of all ages. Preschool kids usually love interactive Dora the Explorer games or the Little Bear clickable storybooks. Children in elementary school might like the Webkinz online games or Legoland CDs. So long as you are raising kids to be computer savvy and work together to create strong child parent relationships, your child will fare well in school and as an adult.
Teach Them to Be Safe
The internet can be a really scary place so you must be inspiring children to be safe while they are using any forms of technology. Talk to your children and discuss ways that they can stay safe online. Explain the basics such as never use their real name, don't tell people where you live and never give out your phone number, school's name and other important and identifying information.
It is essential that you are raising children who are comfortable with telling you if someone is saying "bad" things to them online. This is a no-brainer for those with very close child parent relationships but oftentimes, working parents aren't as accessible to their children as they would like to be.
Be sure to take the time to listen to your children. This is especially important if they are trying to tell you about things that have been going on while using technology. Listening and advising them will help build better child parent relationships and help to keep your children safe.
Careful Cell Phone Use
It's amazing that so many young children have cell phones of their own. Many working parents who are parenting children that must walk home from school alone do this out of necessity. There are others that provide their kids with cell phones simply because all of the other kids in their classes have them. With close child parent relationships, your child should understand that he needn't have his own phone until he is older.
Young children really don't need to have full access to cell phones. There are phones available out there that offer limited access for kids. The parent can program a handful of phone numbers into it and they are the only numbers that can be dialed or even call the child's phone.
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