DURING my senior year in the seminary, I remember bravely knocking on our Father Director’s office door---all geared up with a well-thought argument, ready to stand up for a bunch of future priests who believe that the use of mobile phones should never be banned inside.
And I failed.
But hey! I get it. The seminary’s about spiritual formation and maybe “among” was right. Silence is badly needed in our little home, so we need to punt all destructions aside. Or maybe it’s about embracing the simplicity of life.
Six years later, here I am with same preposition: I don’t think we nor the post-millennials are using too much technology.
In fact, it makes me cringe when I hear anyone put up sermons to restrict hours on a screen for kids.
You see? It’s about gearing up everyone for the world that is going to exist. Straight up.
Let me back up a bit and clarify what I mean. It’s really quite simple, actually. It’s all about evolution. There’s no going back in reverse now. Everyone is growing up with tech. The wheel is stirring into a more futuristic world. I think it’s great, of course.
I definitely get a kick out of seeing little Mac-Mac try to swipe everything. With the changing world, I implore guardians to make sure your kids are part of these big cultural shifts.
Let’s make them understand the technology they are going to be faced with daily since pretty much everything will depend on it: schools, jobs, and even basic interaction with people.
Those who are constrained to one hour a day of iPad might overvalue technology. When they are making their own rules, they might struggle to figure out where the threshold is, where their limits are.
What about the outdoors and getting physical activities?
I’m neither a doctor nor a nutritionist but I believe that (under your watch) kids aren’t just eating better. They’re getting better care too: brushing their teeth more than once a day, regular check-ups and all the good stuff from the expected norm.
Technology hasn’t really “Ctrl+Alt+Del” everything we grew up with.
Basketball is still a thing, and it’s even more widely showcased now than ever before. And why is that?
Yes. Technology.
We’re forming a more passionate generation with greater interests and curiosity. Imagine, they can learn anything they want from Encyclopedia Britannica Online or see any country on Google Maps at any given time.
The point is, at the end of the day, we can’t ignore it. Hence, I’m adjusting to the reality of how I push kids to adapt to it, and maybe so should you.
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