Internet savvy
Monday, January 21, 2008 at 11:28PM These days when I either remember my dad giving me the "in those days, I used to walk 50 miles home everyday carrying 50 kgs of rice on top of my head!" speech or when I give Jr. the "in those days, we used to bike 5 miles to class every day carrying 5 kgs of books on my back!" speech,
there is a realization that she will probably give her kids a little monologue along the "in those days, we had to surf 50 websites in 5 minutes" and there is a good chance that her kids will be going "in those days, we had to surf 500 links in 5 seconds!"
It is not about how long and how heavy anymore! It is how much, how fast!
A different world awaits us..
In case I haven't made the point yet with the video, Jr. can turn on the computer, open IE, go do google searches for websites or images, find my blog and read it, go to Youtube through my blog, watch videos and watch linked videos on Youtube, play online games!! etc. etc. It is very scary that she is 5 years a few months old.
Seriously thinking of putting some parental controls on the computer (need to find out if Youtube has some kind of parent guard so that she doesnt end up watching or reading something nasty)!
The world is changing constantly and these days one rarely disagrees with that statement. Somehow, generation after generation, parents feel that their children are pushing the envelope and they are not prepared enough to handle the challenges their kids dish out to them! My parents must have challenged theirs with their love for city life, compared to their parents who lived in villages.
We(myself, my brother and sister) tested our parents enough and more, and for the most part (now thinking back to those days), they were growing up with us and they still are when they see us live our life the way we do and raise kids the way we do!
Now it is our turn to grow up, and be tested by the little ones. We might not comprehend their world a few years from now, no matter how many advanced degrees we have, tech. savvy we are, etc.
Their world is different, and they will bring us challenges!
Just hope that I remember to read this post and keep my sanity and learn to let go, when Jr. and the little one push the envelope of their times...
ps. In case you didn't catch the sound in the video, the little one wants to see daddy flying, every day! She never gets her request because Jr. does what she wants anyways.. that, is another post in itself!
all part of life, sanity, time, videoblog
Reader Comments (5)
Maybe they turn around and say, "In our times we had to type out each blog post".
Or maybe..."You know, my dad actually had to write out those things.."
The possibilities seem immense. And your blog will capture it for posterity !!
Lovely, as usual !
What you say is so true. Yes, by the time your kids are adults there are bound to be tremendous changes- I wonder how we'll cope! ( Mine already are, so I'm a self confessed dinosaur anyway).
Glad to know San is a reader of my blog- do say Hi to her, too.
Sundar,
I seriously believe that you have to control your daughter's viewing of certain sites. Lately, I have observed many "nasty" pop-ups and ads on some decent sites. You tube site too has unwanted ads on it.
sundar, we have "Safe eyes" parental control, available at internetsafety.com, installed on our computer.
Even I don't know the password, so it's obviously doing its job blocking out unwanted sites.
I'd say try to keep up with your daughter's age and time.
You may not succeed but its better to run some distance with her.
Later when she is grown up and all she will appreciate you for the effort you'd put in to keep up with her time :)
I respect my dad bcos he was never ashamed to learn new tricks from me anything anyday anytime. He never thought it was beyond him or he need not know..
Ofcourse i had to put up with the occasional 'naanga ellam andha kalathile' story but thats okay :)