Technology Archives - The Mom Initiative

Tips for Summer Trips and Technology

Somewhere between the first thousand miles and the second, I realized tech could ruin our togetherness. While it didn’t qualify as “vacation,” our travel across America was much needed time with our son before he spread his wings in college. We mapped out our route, activities, and low-budget accommodations, but failed to anticipate one hazard of family travel today: technology. What do we do with summer trips and technology when we travel? Whether you use iPads for little travelers or iPods for bigger riders, technology can be dangerous. If we let it take us for a ride instead of managing it …

Communication: the power of a text

I’ve never written a message to my kids on a cave wall. They wouldn’t look there, because communication changes. When my kids were little, one of their favorite ways to practice spelling was painting in shaving cream. Now kids click and drag on iPads and use apps to reinforce language development. Shaving cream is still a great way to practice, but if we want to be heard, “flexible” and “learner” have to be our middle names when it comes to communication. The digital age has thrust moms and grandmas onto a fast track for adaptation in communicating with our …

Help, I Want My iPad Back!

By Guest: Arlene Pellicane If you have an iPad and kids, you have probably uttered these words to your son or daughter, “Give my iPad back!” Whether it’s an iPad, a different tablet, or a smart phone, you have probably struggled about your child’s growing use of technology. I recently had lunch with a grandmother named Sally who was lamenting the loss of quality time with her teenage grandson. She and her grandson were very close during elementary school. Peter was always talkative and social with his grandpa rents and others. Peter’s grandmother was very much a part …

Kids and Technology: The “Guinea Pig” Generation

I should have seen it coming. Almost two decades ago, Daniel and I scrutinized the ten or twelve boxes of cutting-edge “educational software” at CompUSA, finally settling on Reader Rabbit. Back home, we devoted the evening to learning the program, ourselves, so that we could help our daughter with it, during the upcoming weeks and months. We stayed up past midnight, and I’m pretty sure we high-fived each other for being such with-it, tech-savvy, forward-thinking parents. Forty-five minutes. What had taken two college-educated adults hours to figure out together took our 3-year-old less than one hour, all on her own. …