Be Alert. Gather the Facts.

I laugh at this photo because if only the parenting know-it-alls knew what was coming for parents, would they have been so hard on my parents for allowing a black and white antenna tv in my room when I was sick for long periods of time? I mean how much could a little Lambchop or Skidamarink looping up and down with periods of black and grey lines do to me? And pacis, they already gave up on those – I found those as soon as they tried to hide them! (fun fact- never had to have braces!)

Recently I had a conversation with a friend about the amount of “alert” you must have as a parent, while also finding the fine line of letting them use the skills you have taught them. It is no longer safe to assume that their friends’ parents are going to at least align somewhat with your parenting values. And sad to say, the world is literally at their fingertips when they go to school- almost everything is done on tablets.

This led me to research the bizarre timeline of computers, technology, social media, etc. Let me just tell you- nooobody’s brain could digest this much progress in such a short period of time. As a mom, aunt, and daughter, today I just want to give what I can to you for the sake of being as knowledgeable as we can be for our future generations. (And it doesn’t hurt to know these things when we are relying our elected officials in Congress (and others) to be advocating for what is constitutionally right as far as social media and other protections.)

Just a tiny timeline I gathered:

• 1977: First Successful Apple Personal Computer
• 1979: Walkman
• 1982: Compact Disc
• 1983: First Handheld Video Camera (hand held and propped on shoulder- if you had one like ours!)
• 1984: Discman
• 1989: Gameboy
• 1990: Laptops started to come on scene
• 1991: World Wide Web launched the first web page and Super Nintendo System
• 1995: AOL
• 1996: Playstation, HDTV, Kodak launched it’s first point and shoot digital camera
• 1997: DVD
• 2001: First ever Apple iPod
• 2003: My Space and Apple iTunes launched
• 2004: Facebook college network
• 2005: YouTube and Twitter
• 2006: BluRay
• 2007: Apple iPhone launched, introducing mobile web browsing. Instagram. Pinterest.
• 2009: Google, first real time search feature
• 2010: Smart Tablets
• 2011: Snapchat
• 2013: First Wi-Fi Kettle, lets you boil water from the comfort of your bed
• 2015: Apple Watch launched
• 2018: Google Home and Amazon Echo second generation released. Tik-Tok.
• 2019: Internet becomes “humanized” with response Artificial Intelligence, intuitive search results, etc.
• 2020: Mobile networks largely supported by renewable energy
• 2022: Estimated 4.7 Billion world wide social media users

I put in bold the Apple “launches” because they tend to be the most remembered. I also grown up with Apple – starting with the black and white pixilated Reader Rabbit game on our big ‘ole Mac when I was little, to the laptop I am typing on right now.

The crazy thing about these dates is that even as someone born in 1987, I still asked for a stereo with a cassette player – no cd player – when I was six or seven. My first camera was film – and so were many after. Both my grandfathers used film cameras most of my life. And walkmans – we still have one of my paw-paws! And as far as iPods I still own a mini iPod 😊 If it ain’t broke 😂 no need to replace!

To the more important and most critical reason I am putting this out to you today… I feel like kids are wanting and needing our help and guidance, but it’s an overwhelming, and sometimes information overloaded world out there. Who’s telling the truth? Who can you trust? Where can you go for fast facts?

As an aunt I began following and subscribing to some of the following resources simply because I needed those fast-to-the-point facts about certain games, movies, tv shows, etc. As I became a mom these became even more important because I would be starting our family- and I wanted to get “ahead” of what I could. Since Lucy has ran ahead of me, I have often wondered and asked God, what do I do with this information? Yes, I still stay up to date for my niece and nephew, but who else needs this? I don’t know if you need these resources or not- but I have them, and I find a great deal of comfort in facts and truth. I hope you will too.

My go to for reviews of movies, books, tv shows, games, etc AND fabulous articles:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org To get the most out of this website and also support them – I highly recommend becoming a member. You are able to set up your family profile- Example: I have my niece set up, her age range for what is reviewed is 12-17 years old, and then I set her content limits for language, violence, sex/romance/nudity, and drinking/drugs, and it gives me suggestions. The best thing is when you select a movie/show/game/etc it gives you parents reviews, kids reviews, Common Sense reviews, description, and suggestions of what you can talk to your kids about. So if you make an uh-oh and let them watch something – there is redemption! I’m just saying- it won’t leave you speechless anymore- there is grace and you can recover! 😊 They now have an app too!

This website has quick educational videos about apps, which I find really helpful, especially when there are new ones popping up by the minute!

https://protectyoungeyes.com/apps/

Unfortunately with access to tablets and the internet at the fingertips of kids, pornography is at an all time high, it’s almost unavoidable. Teaching our kids what to do when they are confronted with these images is our job. This website has great articles and resources. I have not taken the course, so I cannot comment on that – but I would think that it would be just as good as the rest of the resources.

https://www.defendyoungminds.com

I just discovered this dad on instagram, actually him and his wife do mom chats and dad chats- quite hilarious. (insta: @dillionmichaelwhite and @suzannelynnwhite) But more importantly, he explains what Congress is working on in regards to social media. Take a look:

So that’s a wrap for me today. I hope that some of this information you will find helpful. And I will encourage you – what you are doing for littles is well worth it – PRESS ON!

Life Book of the week: Hip-Hop Speaks to Children: Celebration of Poetry with a Beat, by Nikki Giovanni