Parenting Then and Now : How Much has Changed?

May 14, 2015 | Parental Controls

80's-vs-2015-Parents

Remember the thrill of the new color TV? How adjusting the aerial was a family affair? Remember the agony of rewinding the audio cassettes with a pencil to save the walkman battery? 80’s was a great time to be young and kicking! Fast-forward it to 2015 and we have the Apple TV, mp3 players, NetFlix and the smart watches. Everything has changed from how we used to think and how we used to socialize.

I got nostalgic reading this awesome comic on The Joy of Tech. I really do miss my mother and how she used to exactly say the same things to me and how technology has replaced some of our very personal experiences.

Apps have replaced way too much and not all’s good!

There’s an app that measures your water intake. An app that reminds you to eat your greens, an app that tells you to move more often and an app to organize all these apps! There is no limit to human imagination and there is an app for everything you care about. I mean there’s actually an app that monitors your sleep and another hat wards off mosquitoes! I mean, seriously?

One thing that I really don’t like about these apps is that they limit the human capacity to think for themselves, remember important stuff and in return, rely too much on technology.

Ok, here, ask yourself these questions:

Do you remember all your children’s phone numbers by heart?

When was the last time you wished someone on birthday without your phone calendar reminding you?

Can you wake up in the morning without your phone alarm?

Maybe, you had difficulty remembering it all because our memory is vanishing. That’s why we have to take countless pictures of every moment we cherish because there’s a risk of forgetting it.

Not all’s changed negatively

But I’m glad to be a parent today for certain reasons. Although I still think that my parents raised me better than I can ever do, but there are certain things that I’m grateful for.

We’re more open to our kids

I was really shy discussmoming things with my folks, but I’m happy that this generation gap has somehow shrunk and we are more open to our kids, even take their criticism with somewhat cool.

Our kids are more logic-oriented

The stories of a giant mermaid living under the land and causing earthquakes when she shifts and small gnomes running so fast, causing the whirlpools don’t appeal to the kids today. They’re smarter and want the logical explanation of where do babies come from and how earthquakes happen. We were raised to be dumb and not to ask too many questions. Children today are more forward-thinkers and are more assertive.

Parenting is a little easier

Okay, I give credit to technology here: full marks for keeping us parents in touch with our children. Thanks to the Internet connectivity and parental controls apps, we can keep a safety check on our young ones and know that they’re safe out there. After all, it would have been hell difficult to ensure their safety as both parents have to earn the living. My mother would have panicked and never have let me go to college if she saw today’s news bulletin!

Making peace with technology

I come to the conclusion that technology is not all bad. It can make us dependent but for our own good, I suppose. While we can’t do much about how it has shaped our lives, let’s thank these apps to let us get connected with our children for their safety! It might not be the best or safest time to be a teenager, but it certainly is to be a parent!

FamilyTime helps families manage and protect their children’s digital lives.

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