In a recent article on Nextshark.com  by Sarah Lesner titled, Why Steve Jobs Didn’t Let His Children Use iPads ( and Why You Shouldn’t Either) , she poses a great question.

“Would you introduce the technological wonder/heroin that is the iPod and iPad to your kids?”

Personally I feel it’s not an if question but when.

Technology is what we do as humans. Not to long ago a few of us started hitting rocks together and boom, fire! Next time it was a spearhead. Before we knew it we had hand held devices that offer us more computing power than NASA used to put a man on the moon.

Technology isn’t inherently bad! Neither is media. In fact, one of the reasons we started this project was to create a space free of traditional media bias where ideas can be shared and debated.  An open forum for us to help one another form a solid foundation of principles by which we live our lives and embody those lessons for our children to see.

The choices you make today matter and their effects will influence generations to come.

In a time where there is no getting away from media, the big question is how do we prepare our children in a way that allows them to thrive, live and enjoy this world and give them a sense that they can embrace it?

How do we help our children grow up with such a strong sense of self, and a sense of reality, that they can discern what is virtual, what is artificial, and what is giving them a false picture of who they are and battling them with what they “should be like”?

What can we do now, throughout these early years, that will help our children have a true, authentic, pleasurable experience during puberty?

How do we help our children to develop into what they intended to become?

Children trust that the things we allow in their environment are good for them.

We’ve all heard the adage “you are what you eat” but I’d take it a bit further and say “you are what you think.” Do you question who is behind the production of the content you allow into your life, into your mind…into your child’s mind? I’m a huge fan of consumer psychology, sales cycles, content marketing, copywriting and the cognitive and behaviors biases the inhibit our decision making, making the power of persuasion, well….so persuasive. I’ll be the first to say I love learning about these topics but it also make me keenly aware of the intentions behind people are “selling” me either in physical product or ideology. Who is questioning the moral value of the content if not us?

Do you really trust media companies to create something truly age appropriate?

It is not about how much television our children are watching or how much screen time we allow…It’s about how willing we are as parents to engage with our children, to have the conflicts with them when necessary, and allowing them to be a participant and a meaningful member of the family. These are the things that will build inner resources that they can respond with, not just what has been imposed upon them by the media.

How do we know who we are?

How do we know what we are capable of?

Why is it so much more prevalent to ask,  “What is wrong with my child?”  Rather than, “What is wrong with school system that my child is experiencing?”

We prevent children from accomplishing many things simply by telling them too early they are not good at something- when maybe they just need more time and a little thought behind what we introduce them to in life.

These are the questions Mienir Davies of The New Village School in Sausalito, CA addresses in todays episode.

Enjoy!