When I received my first iPod as a birthday present years ago, I was excited, especially since my daughter, Emma, had gotten one just a few months earlier. She graciously offered to set it up for me, and I happily accepted. It was a kind gesture, reminiscent of the saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Little did I know, I’d still be floundering in the tech world, forever reliant on my kids for help.
To the casual observer, I seem like a fully-fledged member of the 21st century. I work on an iMac, chat on my iPhone, and read on my iPad. However, the reality is that I’m often lost in the digital landscape. Whenever something goes wrong with my gadgets, I find myself calling on my children for assistance.
Every week, my computer slows down, prompting me to summon one of my kids. “Mom!” Emma exclaims, “How many windows do you have open? You need to close them!” I genuinely thought I had done that. Occasionally, my toolbar disappears, leaving me staring at the screen in confusion until my son, Max, walks in for a snack and a quick fix with a few taps.
I may text, but my kids chuckle at my one-finger typing style. “You’re supposed to use both thumbs, Mom,” they chime in unison. But how? I can’t seem to manage typing just one letter with both thumbs, even though I don’t think they’re unusually large.
Then there are those elusive apps. Somehow, I swipe something on my phone, and suddenly my Safari icon vanishes into the void, only to be swiftly retrieved by one of the kids.
I once mentioned my tech struggles to Lisa, the technology teacher at my children’s school. She explained that today’s kids grow up immersed in technology, and it comes to them naturally. Meanwhile, folks my age didn’t have the same exposure, making it more challenging for us to catch up.
Ironically, I was pretty tech-savvy as a teenager. When my family got our first VCR in the ’70s, I could easily set it up to tape shows. My parents, however, were a different story. They would call me (on a rotary phone!) to help them, and I’d return home from college to find their VCR flashing “12:00.” I couldn’t fathom why they struggled, but now I get it.
A few years back, my editor asked me to hyperlink a section in an article. I had no clue what she meant. I turned to Emma, and of course, she knew how to do it. She offered to handle it for me, but this time, I declined and asked her to teach me instead. With my tech consultant heading off to college soon, I realized I have to learn how to navigate this tech world myself.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into parenting and technology, check out this insightful article on Modern Family Blog. You might also find Science Daily to be an excellent resource for understanding more about pregnancy and home insemination. And if you’re looking for at-home insemination kits, Make a Mom is a reputable online retailer that has you covered.
In summary, while I may be the mom who doesn’t quite get technology, I’m determined to learn. With a little help from my kids, I’m hoping to finally catch up and navigate this digital age with confidence.
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