iRules-detailed tips for parents on technology and children

Daddy Mojo works in social media, I work in technology and I’m also very nosey when it comes to our children – so I haven’t been very concerned with the iDevice revolution. I have a device and so does my husband, so to protect our children all we have to do is secure the connection in our house, right? Wrong.  iRules discusses different elements of incorporating technology into your family – from the devices themselves to the rules and developing technologically responsible children.

When I say “incorporation of technology” what do I mean? It could be establishment of video game rules, to getting a phone to using social media. The best part of the book is that the rules aren’t restricted to the child – most are for everyone…even the parents. One of the first things I started doing when I read this book is buried the Facebook app icon on my iPhone so it wasn’t staring at me every time I was checking my email. One of the first points is that children will model the behavior closest of their parents.

Now let me start off by saying that, generally, the kids and I don’t have many conversations that are over 30 seconds long on the same topic (our oldest is 4). However, this book methodically goes through how to handle technology discussions in your family, complete with focus points and suggested questions to ask. It starts with more basic topics (respect, responsibility) and gets into much more complex issues like cyber bullying and being “present” instead of constantly “connected”. We love many things – we don’t have to be all-or-nothing people.

The hard truth of the idevice revolution is that it is entirely up to the parents to enforce and watch out for their children trying to push the boundaries.  If parents have the courage to engage in some of these difficult, direct conversations early in the child’s technology experience, it could have long-lasting positive effects on their life. We will be using this as the boys get older without a doubt.