Parenting is hard. How do you know the right things to do with the new technology that keeps arriving on the market? Do you ever feel like our parents had it so much easier? The truth is there are “new” things for each generation to figure out. For my great-grandparents’ generation, it was the car; for my grandparents’ generation, it was the TV; for my parents’ generation, it was the telephone (the old-timey kind that requires a cord); and for my generation, it was the computer. For this generation, it begins with the smartphone that provides constant connectivity to the rest of the world, and who knows where it will end.
Technology of the past was different than what our children are exposed to for a few key reasons:
Time. The length of time between something being introduced to market and the time it ended up in a household was years—decades even.
Size. These gadgets took up space and could not fit in your pocket. It was very difficult to sneak a joyride, watch TV, or use the telephone easily without getting caught.
Limitations. Content, people, and geography were bound by the number of roads that existed, how many channels were available, and who had a party line.
Contrast the above with the power that technology of this generation provides:
Speed vs. Time. A “new” gadget or app can be invented, developed, mass produced, and distributed within a matter of months—days even. There are plenty to purchase, and they are so easy to use that they can be embraced quickly.
Portability vs. Size. Today’s tech easily fits in your pocket, your hand, your wrist, your ear, etc.
Exposure vs. Limitations. With connectivity to a common, existing network, the Internet; distance, language, and accessibility are minor factors, making the potential for exposure global and immediate with a permanent record of everything electronic.
As parents with limited time, energy, and money, how in the world can we stay on top these overwhelming and constant changes without losing our sanity? LCA would like to partner with you on this journey, as we explore the risks, trends, and guardrails you can set to responsibly and actively protect your family while leveraging technology for good.
Over the next few seasons we will be exploring:
What are the dangers with technology: physically, spiritually, and socially?
How do I protect my kids? What age? What apps?
What does it mean to be a good digital citizen?
Although technology and gadgets are evolving, people haven’t changed much over time. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9–10, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”
We all have a sin nature and need a Savior. The matters of the heart and the struggle for obedience, honesty, and respect are real for every generation. Just as our parents and their parents before them stepped up to learn how to manage in their “new” normal, we must be just as diligent for this generation. At LCA, we are committed to helping your student be prepared academically, spiritually, and socially for God’s call on their lives. And to succeed in our mission, we need to lock arms with families to navigate and leverage the digital age we are living in for God’s kingdom.
Stay tuned for more articles and events. [article written by Holly Godfrey, IT director at LCA]
