Technology and the Toddler

My toddler asked for an iPad and a television for her room for her birthday this year!  What kind of three year old asks for her own iPad?  Apparently most of them do now.  I never thought I’d be one of those parents who said things like, “Back in my day…”  But back in my day, I didn’t get a computer and internet until 8^th grade.  I didn’t have a cell phone until I could drive and I didn’t have my first iPod until college!

On Zoey’s first international flight this summer, she spent most of the time watching Frozen and Sleeping Beauty on my husband’s iPad, which she refers to as her iPad.  She fell asleep at one point, so Brant (my husband, her Dad) “borrowed” his iPad back to read.  She woke up and was very upset that her iPad had disappeared.

I never cease to be amazed by the things she knows how to do with electronic technology.  My dad was babysitting her a few months back and I returned home to find her instructing him on how to turn on NetFlix on the iPad and then stream that to the ChromeCast hooked up to the television.  She doesn’t know all of the terminology, but she knows if you push the little squiggly button in the corner that it will start playing on the television.  Where has my baby gone?  Where have all the children gone?  My child is not the anomaly I have discovered.  Today’s culture is just different.  Children play with iPads and iPhones like we used to play with Barbie dolls and beanie babies.

On that international vacation I mentioned before, several nights we saw toddler’s watching Paw Patrol, Octonauts, Shimmer and Shine and other various cartoons on their iPads.  It kept the kids quiet, which was my reasoning for letting Zoey have one on the plane.  It made me start thinking though, what lengths will we go to just to keep our kids quiet and well behaved in public?  I don’t want my child to be glued to technology.  I don’t want that to be the only way I can get her to follow the rules and behave well.  Zoey is thankfully still a little chatter box and would rather be jabbering on to us about whatever she sees going on than playing a video game or watching an iPad when out at a restaurant, but I have a feeling those days may be numbered!

A few years ago, I probably would have told you I wouldn’t be one of those moms that lets her toddler play on an iPad, iPhone or whatever other gadget is handy.  But you know what, I would have been wrong!  As a parent, you do what it takes to make it in the current situation and do the best you can for your child.  I want to protect Zoey and educate her and help her grow into a wonderful little person.  A few years back, I would have probably been one of those judgey people that says I am not doing it right by letting her have so much time with technology, but now I understand that there is no one size fits all solution and in some situations handing a toddler an iPad on a plane is the very best solution possible at the time!  Parenthood has made me grow so much as a parent and learn that you should never utter the words, “I’d never do that!” because you know what, there’s a really good chance that someday you might!