Land n Sand Jan / Feb 2014 | Page 30

T echnology, like Rock ‘n Roll, is here to stay. It is not going anywhere. So we need to face our fear and deal with it. We cannot fight it, run from it or refuse to allow it to exist. Here are some tips that will help you to start parenting your digital natives a bit more effectively. 1. Accept that technology is here to stay and make a commitment to yourself to try and embrace it. 2. Don’t believe all the bad press technology gets. Technology does not damage your brain, make you lonely or turn you into a gunwielding teenager - you do that. 3. Take an interest in what your children are doing. Sit down and watch their favourite TV program with them or spend a bit of time watching them playing a game on their computer. 4. Ask them about the game, what the objective is, why they like it, whether they can play it virtually with others. 5. Play with them - you never know - you may unleash your inner-gamer. 6. Set boundaries and stick to them. Involve your children in setting the limits. Discuss balance with them and ask what boundaries they think will help them achieve balance between family time, homework, friends, sport and technology. Implement them. *** 7. Don’t believe the standard “2 hours” screen time suggested by your childrens educators. They are more than likely as technologically challenged and terrified as you. There is no “ideal” time. Each child is different. You will also see, once you’ve played a game yourself, that you will start having hateful thoughts if the plug gets pulled just as you’re about to slay the final dragon. 8. Knowledge is power. Educate yourself. Read to keep abreast of what is going on and to stay in touch with is happening technologically and the things your children are involved in. 9. Get your child to help you to learn. Ask them to help you with something you’ve been struggling with technologically - or ask them how something works. 10. Talk to your children about the “old-days”, about writing and mailing letters, about telephones with round dials or even mobile phones that were as big as bricks. Talk about how cell phones have given us constant line of communication to our friends and family and try to imagine what it was