Let me explain why. We are a technological world. It is all around us. From electronic billboards, to televisions, to LeapPads, it is something you CANNOT avoid. Children are using tablets in school, teachers are writing on interactive whiteboards, museums are installing electronic tour guides. Some people try to avoid it as much as possible and stay with toys made out of natural materials and a plastic ban. Some people embrace the tech, and some people call this lazy. I can see both side of the arguments, completely and totally. We try to buy wooden toys where we can, we prefer the more tactile nature and the fact they're built to last. We encourage Indy to play outside and to experience things for real as opposed to via a screen. Indy can also unlock both mummy and daddy's phones, choose his favourite game, and complete a few levels.Parents don't have to choose, parents can provide both. We are living in a technological age, and it is present in most working environments. I believe that using technology is now a life skill, and if you aren't proficient in Word and Excel when you apply for a job, you are at a disadvantage. Why not teach this skills when they're young, do it in a fun way, and give your child life skills? When Indy uses technology, we don't use it as a 'babysitter', we interact with him and use it as family time.
Some people will disagree with us, others will nod their heads and feel slightly less guilty (I hope.) I think children and technology shouldn't be a taboo anymore, and shouldn't be seen as lazy. I think it should be accepted, encouraged, and even enjoyed. We are a gaming family, and want to help other parents make the right choices when it comes to technology, hence our other project PixlBandits; a youtube and blog where we discuss retro games, and provide parents guides to popular games.
"We are a gaming family."
ReplyDelete<3 this- my wife and I cut our teeth on tabletop/pen and paper RPGs and the Golden Age of Video Arcade Games, and we have fully carried on this tradition with our children-- *including* the ones non-pixelated, not necessarily tied to technology. My daughter sometimes plays these classic video games with me (on an X-Arcade controller) and she also plays Minecraft with her mother.