Toolbox for Parenting Digital Generation
How simple was life when the digital world did not exist to such an extent and the only forms of interaction were either face to face or through one of those old dial up phones.
However, with the changing era come changing complications especially where parenting is concerned. Most of the time, parents come up with some serious questions related to parenting a digital generation.
This is usually because when it comes to parenting in this era, parents are usually blind and in unchartered waters because the online world is very vast and highly complicated and let’s face it, the kids these days are way smarter than we ever were.
Here are some of the questions parents occasionally ask when it comes to parenting a digital generation:
How can parents overcome online challenges?
The easiest way to overcome online challenges is to treat the digital world in the same way you would treat the offline world. Which means; all the question you would ask for your kid’s safety should be promptly asked when you know your kid is going online.
Just like you would ask your kid questions regarding their interactions in the offline world, ask them the same questions about the offline world. These would include:
- Where they go online? You should know which sites they regularly visit.
- Who are they in constant contact with? Who they chat with and for how long?
- If they are not in contact with anyone, who is trying to get in touch with them?
- When they are online, what do they exactly do? Basically know about their online activities.
How can we make sure our children are using social media sites responsibly?
Other than having the “adult conversation” about social media site usage, you should install monitoring applications as a backup plan in case things go south. Some of the “adult conversation” rules to set for your kids’ include:
- The way you treat people offline is the same way you should treat people online.
- Privacy is important and having controls for it are highly important.
- Make it clear to them what is sharable and what is not.
- Have a serious conversation about privacy tools and their very need.
What to do when you get your kid his first smartphone or tablet?
Before giving your kid his or her first online gadget whether it is a laptop or a tablet or a smart phone, make sure you have had the intricate conversation about online controls; basically what is allowed and what is not. Having this conversation will prove two things:
- You will have something common to discuss with your kid on a daily basis hence keeping track of their online activities in the long run.
- You will be better able to gauge whether your kid is ready or not to take on the digital world.
Getting a gadget and just handing it over is the wrong way to go about it, however we recommend that you make sure the entire initial set up is complete before completely handing it over. Also, we suggest installing monitoring applications as a backup option to help keep a close eye on your kid’s online activities.
How to stay up to date with what our kids are doing online?
The online world is evolving at a fast pace making it fairly impossible for us parents to catch up with. However, that doesn’t mean we should just give up on the whole idea. It is really important that as parents we know what our kids are doing online. And the best way to do that is by simply asking.
Just casually have a conversation with your kid about their recent interests online and who they are taking too. Let them open up to you and discuss their likes and dislikes with your openly.
By simply showing some interest in your kids online life will be enough for you to form a permanent bond with them and keep you updated with the online world.
However, to have an intricate look into your kids’ online life, we suggest installing monitoring applications which will automatically help you in understanding what your kid does online.
There is no right and wrong way when it comes to parenting, however, as parents we have an innate instinct which can help us distinguish right from wrong. And with the help of this instinct we can easily parent the digital generation of today.
Author Bio
Elizbeth is a psychology writer and adolescent training coach for parents also digital parenting expert. She loves to write and share about teenage issue and their solutions on Kid’s safety. Follow her on twitter @elizbethsewell6
