Parenting in a Digital World

Parenting in today‰Ûªs fast paced world can be quite a challenge. Sometimes it seems as though the world is full of hostile influences vying for the shot to get at your children. While a worldview of this order may seem slightly paranoid to anyone without a kid, the fact is that there really are a lot of ways for unsavory influences to reach your children. TV and movies are familiar balances for most parents, but video games? The internet? These things are strange to some. And phones? Some parents may think that there is nothing troubling about a phone, but they haven‰Ûªt seen what a late model phone can do if that is what they think.
Thankfully there is an equally large selection of resources dedicated to helping a parent combat the influences they want to keep away from their children. Cell phone providers all have parental control setups that will ensure your child isn‰Ûªt up all night texting. You can even block some numbers, or stop them from sending and receiving pictures. There are rating agencies for TV, Movies, and video games, all of which can help you gain a better understanding of what your children are interacting with. And of course there are filters for both the internet and your TV, to prevent your children from looking at things you don‰Ûªt want them to when you‰Ûªre not around. None of these things can take the place of an active and involved parent, but they can help you be more effective as a parent, and they are a great means of staying in the loop with your child‰Ûªs activities.