Progress is something that most healthy individuals in a prosperous, advancing society desire in order to see improvement in lifestyles, become better educated, and improve society in general. Most adults also appreciate that the brain is a malleable instrument that can be impacted intensely for a period of time before the ability to really learn complex new subjects becomes more difficult, and one has to ask “Should I be an expert in this or should I pay someone else to do it?”
The above phenomenon has been most apparent during the past few decades with computers and internet technology. There is a degree of truth to the joke that if you want some technology problem solved give it to a seven year old. I was an early adopter of email and the internet compared to a number of others and I was several years out of university when that occurred, well past the time when my brain could efficiently learn a new language. Ever since then, I feel as if I have been forever playing catch-up to the latest technology improvement and I have had to consider who can I utilize around me to help me get where I need to be in the technology world while not mortgaging the rest of my life to them and their dependents.
In considering all of these things, I developed a list of ten items which parents and other adults should remember as it relates to the technological advantages of children and young adults today, how to respond to them and how to overcome them.
1. Humility – This is one of the most difficult traits that someone who is further along chronologically in life has to have as it relates to younger people, particularly those who could be the age of their children or even younger. There is a natural mentality of “I have lived longer than THEY have.” Or “My wisdom is of greater importance than their youthful brashness”. Truly there is a lot of wisdom for society showing respect for those who are older and have experienced more of life. We also have to remember that we live in a dynamic environment where knowledge is being added each second to the global database of information. Whereas 500 years ago an educated person had a knowledge base that was somewhat fungible with another educated person, now no one can be a master of more than a couple of areas, due to the complexities of each of them. You can know about a lot, but chances are there will be plenty of people out there who can process more on that topic than you can. This has given rise more to collaboration and people having to work together with all of their individual talents to achieve a greater good. Also individuals who are going through school today are learning things that we did not learn or did not learn in the same way and their brains are more able to act efficiently as sponges to soak in the information that they are receiving.
2. Making the child's talents/abilities part of the home's upkeep – Children need to be reminded that they are part of a family and that they have contributions that they can and should make for the general upkeep and enhancement of that family. If they are more technologically savvy than their parents, and it is a rare home where that is not the case by the time the child is a pre-teen, they need to know that their technological superiority does not render them masters of the home, but makes them important contributors to the home’s improvement. I think of what I have read about families who were raised on farms 75 or 100 years ago. Life on the small farm really was a family business where those who were old enough and capable enough of getting around, were expected to assist with the livestock or help with the sowing and harvesting of the crops. There was not a lot of time for children to play or waste time. Their involvement was expected for the survival and prosperity of the family. Life today is fortunately much easier, therefore we have time for more cerebral pursuits in life. Still, children can learn valuable lessons from doing things for the benefit of the family unit.
3. Recognition that adults also need to not get rusty with the new technologies that are out there – Parents and really all adults need to remember that staying current on technology and the things related to it, keeps them relevant in their careers and in life. There will always be new inventions coming to the market that enable people to do things less expensively, more efficiently and in general with more ease. Being able to take advantage of those opportunities will give the individual opportunities to start new businesses, develop new ideas, or do other things that they might not have considered had they not advanced with their knowledge of the newer technology.
4. Really focusing on their individual strengths and excelling in them – A parent needs to remember that they too have individual strengths that can be utilized and expanded upon, and that those strengths and talents are valuable. One doesn’t need to feel helpless as one ages and people two decades behind them are monopolizing the technology game. Hone those individual strengths and network with those who will get you further in life.
5. Remembering that their child needs to be well-rounded – We have seen the effects on society of many children who are extremely proficient with a video game, who can hyper-text, or carry on technological conversations with eight different people at the same time, but are well on their way to obesity by the time they are adults due to lack of physical exercise. Other concerns also are just general socialization of children. If a child grows up with his 657 friends solely on Facebook, he is not standing on solid ground if he doesn’t know enough of them well enough to spend time with them in person.
6. Recognizing that spiritual strength trumps mental strength – Intelligence is great and it will definitely get you a long way in life if you are a well-balanced person. However, in a parent the spiritual strength that comes from a life that is directed by God in every way provides wisdom and guidance that serves to trump a mind that is not spiritually controlled. Parents here need to be reminded that they are to “train up a child in the way he should go.”
To avoid the obvious Christianese here, let’s consider, what does it actually mean to train up a child in the way that he should go? One, remember that you are your child’s best model. If they grow up seeing you look a certain way, act a certain way, or talk a certain way, or do particular things, chances are that they may end up mimicking you sometime sooner or later. If you are guilty of distracted driving because you are busy checking your email or texting while you are driving with your children, you may reach a point where you see them playing with technology when they should be concentrating on matters of safety. Are you going to be proud of what you see, or proud of what you hear? Two, remember that child rearing takes concerted investment of time. One cannot simply parent by detached administration. One must be hands-on. In parenting, one must get one’s hands dirty. Sometimes a child has to learn a particular lesson or method dozens of times. Remember, if you don’t want a bad habit ingrained in your child, endeavor not to display the bad habit yourself even once. If you want a good habit ingrained in your child, endeavor to live it consistently.
7. Let the child learn through himself teaching the parents – This can be a good opportunity to teach the child what it means to properly instruct or lead others when the parents give him an opportunity in the home to instruct them perhaps in the way a new media system works. The child learns the right and wrong ways of leading and teaching. He learns that he has to organize his thoughts, create a workable presentation, gear his presentation to the needs and level of his audience, and most importantly he learns that it is not about him, but about others. This will serve him well later in life when his audience is much more demanding.
8. Encouraging children to progress at the levels they can handle and contribute to the greater society when they are ready to the extent that they can manage – Raising children on technology is like raising them on other things. Some will take very early to a number of different forms of it. Some will show more interest in specific applications over other applications. At the end of the day though each child will grow up taking the technological applications that are best suited to their giftings and interests.
9. Remembering and teaching themselves and the child that technology should not be a pursuit in and of itself but a tool that serves greater goals in life – Parents need to remember to model and instruct the child that although technology is good, and it is important for a child to know how to use it and pursue it if he or she is inclined, pursuing technology for its own end does not lead to a well-rounded person. Technology is a servant to greater things in life such as the betterment of people’s lives, one fulfilling one’s ultimate purpose and related things. In the end, technology is a tool to be used to help us attain better lives in a practical sense. It should serve larger goals instead of being the larger goal itself.
10. Remembering that it is the parent's role to mentor and shape the child – Being a parent or an adult authority figure does not mean that you must be an expert in all things. Even though technology is multiplying far faster than your ability to keep up with it, that does not negate or lessen your role as a mentor or guide for your child. Remember that you have walked the road of life before they have, and you are blessed with a historical perspective on life that they will only get when they have matured and done a lot more reading and consuming of life.
Tech Expertise: Youth vs Maturity
Posted: August 1, 2012 by Chuck DeShazo
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