Walking Your Children Through the Information Age

 

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

 

“Mommy, why is the sun going down?”

“Mommy, why is it winter?”

“Mommy, why do we have to comb my hair?”

“Mommy, why do we poop?”

 

It’s begun. My son is three, nearly four, and along with his active imagination and excessive energy, is the desire to know everything about everything.

 

I have had to answer the questions above and, what feels like, millions more.  Most of the time, I don’t mind it, but there are moments when I just want the questions to stop.  But I realize how important it is that he gets valuable information from me.  I want him to know that if I don’t know something, we can find out the answers.  I want him to ask why and not feel bad for wanting to find out.

 

Still, there are some answers that he’s not ready for.

 

It’s made me think about what I watch on TV, what I listen to on the radio, and what I am doing on the internet.  I can’t live my life for myself, because there is another person in the room and it’s someone that needs to know that he can feel safe in his own home.

 

Information is everywhere.  From the checkout lines in the grocery store, the large billboards towering over city streets, to the backs of cereal boxes, we are constantly bombarded with new information.  

 

But all this knowledge has to be sifted through. When done with wisdom, we have the opportunity to improve every area of our lives and even transform the lives of those around us.  But, the back-sided weakness of all this information is that it can bury us with knowledge that won’t help us at all.  It can confuse and even distort our vision of the world around us.

 

So how do we walk through this world of knowledge alongside our children and still live with purpose and real happiness?

 

It’s not easy and, as always, takes work.  But I believe it can be done.  This is what I have learned and applied through my experience as a parent of younger people.  I hope these lessons can help you as well.

 

Dilemma #1: There is a danger of pigeonholing our knowledge of the world.

Some information is more readily available than others.  That’s why it’s called mainstream.  However some information is more popular than others.  That’s why the nightly news can sound like its repeating itself.  It’s because they are selling information that they know will be accepted or “bought.”  If we only stick with what is right in front of us – i.e. the nightly news, etc. - we miss out on so much more information that could be more beneficial to our lives.

 

Solution #1: Expose children to a different variety of information.

This goes beyond taking them to the museum.  This will probably require you to go off the beaten path.  Expose them to different types of news, music, and food.  If it’s possible, take them to a night club that plays jazz music.  Take them to a Broadway show for their birthday. Travel around your neighborhood.  There are many activities, even in very small communities that will open up a wider world for your kids.  Find a poetry slam in your area.  Take them to the farmer’s market.  Find a farm that will give your family a tour and possibly give them the opportunity to do some activities with the animals.  I still remember when I visited a farm and milked a cow.  Experiences like this can shape your children’s minds in amazing ways and might even open your own eyes in the process.

 

Dilemma #2: There is some information that children cannot process through in a healthy way because they don’t have the life skills to handle them.

It really does annoy me that they have commercials on TV for erectile dysfunction.  Particularly during the nightly news.  Our family doesn’t watch a large amount of TV, but it’s information like this that I know my son will pick up on.  Prime time television is something that, in my opinion, puts out far too much information and drama. The stories may be interesting, but the violence, language, and the energy that come from these shows can affect how all of us feel about the world.  Children are very sensitive and I think we forget about how much they can handle.

 

Solution #2: Keep information age appropriate.

This is something that I have to do on a daily basis.  I have one “grown-up” show that I really enjoy watching, but I do not watch it around my kids.  That’s why I have “Mommy’s Night.”  This is when my husband takes care of the kids and gets them to bed while I watch my show.  I can feel like a grown up again and do something I really enjoy without worrying about what my son will see.

 

Many TV shows you can watch online for free.  Watch them while your kids are napping or find a way to watch them while your kids are being taken care of by someone else.  And remember that if you don’t feel comfortable answering questions about it, you shouldn’t have it around your kids.  This goes for books, music, radio, and other venues of information.

 

This does not mean that you have to live your life listening to Barney until your kids are 10 years old.  Some of my children’s favorite musicians are Michael Buble, John Mayer, and Colbie Caillat.  I can’t stand Barney so I have found a middle road that all of us as a family can enjoy without erasing my own individuality.

 

Dilemma #3: Children (and adults!) can become disconnected from real life.

There are so many more things now that demand our attention. Text messages, online communities, iPods, gaming, and television are just some of the things that can seem to connect us to the world … but actually takes us away from truly experiencing it.

 

It’s the illusion that we are being present with each other in our world, yet we hardly look each other in the eye.

 

Solution #3: Put limits on electronic devices and talk to your children about the effects of

these devices.

Make dinner-time electronic free. Turn off the TV.  Turn off cell phones and computers. Turn off the phone if you have to.  Take measures to ensure that you are spending time together without interruptions.  Go outside.  Take a cooking class with each other.  Invite friends over and leave your cell phones where you can’t hear them.  Remind your children what real life is like and that even though these devices can be fun, they don’t make up for it.

 

Don’t lecture.  You will lose them the minute you get that lecturing look in your eyes.  But, make it interesting.  Encourage them to pay attention to their emotions, how their bodies feel, and how their minds are working after they have spent time with these devices.  Have them write down what they discovered.  Talk about how important it is to think about what we do with our bodies.  Many times, we will accept something into our lives because it’s new and exciting and because everyone that we know is or will be getting one.  But, we need to learn how to think critically and starting asking why, or if it’s something we should add to our lives.

 

This world is amazing.  I think that I am learning more about the world than I ever have.  And it’s fun!

 

But I know that not everything I learn is good for me.  I need to take care of myself and what information I take in.  Just as much as I need to take care of my kids.

 

And the same goes for you.  Your children will learn more from you and how you walk in your own life than they will anyone else.  Make it wonderful and walk it together.

 

“The constant dilemma of the information age is that our ability to gather a sea of data greatly exceeds the tools and techniques available to sort, extract, and apply the information we’ve collected.”
-Jeff Davidson

 

“We have more information now than we can use, and less knowledge and understanding than we need.  Indeed, we seem to collect information because we have the ability to do so, but we are so busy collecting it that we haven’t devised a means of using it.  The true measure of any society is not what it knows but what it does with what it knows.”
-Warren Bennis

 

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